CRIF:MU Acquisition of Cyber-Enabled X/Q-band CW EPR Spectrometer for Use in Research and Education

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Multiuser Program (CRIF:MU), Professor Morteza G. Khaledi and colleagues Alex I. Smirnov and Tatyana I. Smirnova from North Carolina State University will acquire a cyber-enabled X/Q-band continuous-wave EPR spectrometer. Research projects that will benefit from this instrument include: 1) structure property relationships in transition metal complexes of biradical ligands; 2) investigation of conformations of biomolecules by advanced spin-labeling EPR methods; 3) developing new hybrid nanomaterials for membrane protein biochips; 4) synthesis of multifunctional hybrid structures with unique electronic properties and development of molecular-level strategies for elucidating the principles for the formation of low- and three-dimensional frameworks; 5) reversible addition fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization kinetic studies in applications for DNA biosensing; 6) understanding the mechanism of catalase-peroxidase (KatG) function and its unique model complexes containing unnatural amino acids; 7) development of dehaloperoxidase as a tool for bioremediation; 8) interaction of chiral polymers with biological membranes; 9) probing the magnetic and redox properties of metallotropic liquid crystals with the highest known inorganic content, and 10) investigating the impact of organic matter on the reduction of iron phosphates in soil systems.An EPR spectrometer yields information on the molecular and electronic structure of molecules. It may also be used to obtain information about the lifetimes and identities of free radicals, short-lived species that are often essential for the initiation of tumor growth and/or a variety of chemical reactions. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas, from chemistry to materials and biological chemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research.