Acquisition of a 600 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer

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This award will fund the acquisition of a 600 MHz solids-capable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer for research projects that span a diversity of problems, from materials science through the chemistry of signaling events to the determination of macromolecular structure. NMR uses the principle that the nuclei of most atoms act as tiny magnets. These magnets line up parallel or anti-parallel to a magnetic field, and emit or absorb radio-frequency energy when they do so. The amount of energy emitted, and therefore the sensitivity of the technique, depends on using the highest possible field. Because most nuclei are magnetic, NMR is a technique that can be applied to a broad range of materials, ranging from minerals to human tissue (as in MRI). This award will enhance nine identified research projects: to understand the responses of crop-plants to light, the mechanism of important industrial catalysts, the bacterial enzymes that generate methane, potential materials for new, organic magnets, the mechanisms by which proteins bind to DNA, how vitamin B6 works, the structural principles of new classes of drugs incorporating fluorine atoms, how disease-causing fungi signal to each other, and the role of chloride and zinc in protein structure and function. The requested spectrometer is a state-of-the art instrument capable of carrying out the full repertory of modern, multidimensional gradient-assisted NMR experiments, on small molecules and proteins in solution, and on solids. The instrument will have a field of 14 Tesla. It will be a major improvement on existing instrumentation at the University of Nebraska, and it will be the most powerful NMR spectrometer in the state and the region. The new instrument will enable the hiring of a new faculty member in the area of biological chemistry. The presence of this faculty member at the University of Nebraska will create synergistic interactions with other faculty researchers in the areas of biochemistry and synthetic chemistry, will provide a significant training opportunity for graduates students in biophysical chemistry, and will complement the structural biology research efforts of David L. Smith (mass spectrometry) and Gerard Harbison (solid state NMR). The integration of undergraduate and graduate students, particularly those from hitherto underrepresented groups, fulfills one of the major goals of NSF's strategic plan, and is a central aspect of research at the University of Nebraska and of this award. The Department of Chemistry has 20 faculty members active in research and a graduate student population of approximately 100. Most of our graduates work in the chemical industry; an increasing number have found employment in biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The University of Nebraska also has a vigorous undergraduate research effort. Typically, five chemistry majors and about an equal number of biochemistry majors continue into graduate research in chemistry or biochemistry. The Department of Chemistry hosts a summer REU program, in which undergraduates from other universities gain research experience. Of the 22 participants in last year's program, four were African-American, two were Hispanic and one was Native American. At the community college level, UNL has growing ties with Nebraska Indian Community College and Little Priest Tribal College at Winnebago, NE. Investigators at these institutions have the opportunity to conduct summer and/or sabbatical research at UNL, and will benefit from the instrumentation.