MRI: Acquisition of a 500 MHz NMR Spectrometer for Research and Training

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This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program (CRIF). With it, Professor Rabi Musah from SUNY Albany and colleagues acquired a 500 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. A NMR spectrometer measures weak signals from atomic nuclei in a sample when stimulated by light. These signals enable identification of the atoms (for example, hydrogen, carbon, and other elements) in the chemical or material under study. NMR is a powerful analytical technique used to characterize reaction products, proteins and other biological species, or unknown substances which need to be identified. Consequently, NMR spectrometers are essential to chemistry, biological and environmental research. The instrument is used to train students in the technique preparing them for their careers. The spectrometer is a resource available to other institutions in the greater Albany region including the College of St. Rose and Skidmore College. The award of the NMR spectrometer is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. This instrument may impact studies synthesizing and characterizing organosulfur and organoselenium compounds, and organosulfur natural products such as plant chemical defense molecules. The instrument is used for investigating heterometallic molecular precursors for the preparation of energy-related materials. Research on carbon-rich pi-bowls, nanobelts and warped nanographene sheets advance with data from the instrument. The spectrometer is an integral tool in several projects exploring the syntheses of biologically active species. These include synthetic approaches to small-molecule peptide natural products, and the chemical synthesis of peptides, proteins and glycoproteins. Also under investigation are the synthesis of naturally modified RNA nucleosides, nucleotides and oligonucleotides and the determination of their crystal structures.