MRI: Acquisition of a 500 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer for Undergraduate Research and Training

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This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. Professor Gregory Springsteen from Furman University and colleagues Timothy Hanks and Mary Daub are acquiring a 500 MHz NMR spectrometer equipped with an automatic sample changer. In general, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools available to chemists for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, to characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules, and to study the dynamics of interactions between molecules in solution or in the solid state. Access to state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. The NMR studies improve understanding of synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and biochemistry. This instrument is an integral part of teaching as well as research. This broadly accessible instrumentation strengthens the regional NMR analytical infrastructure and help advance the scientific careers of many undergraduate students from this institution, as well as those from neighboring Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), community colleges and first generation-serving institutions. Industrial collaborations are also in place.The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It especially aids exploration of prebiotic reactions leading to new knowledge on the origin of biological metabolism and for the development of sensors that could be useful for drug-delivery vesicles built from self-assembled fatty acids. The spectrometer is used to characterize synthesized compounds using oxidative photocycloaddition reactions that may have potential use as antifungal and antibiotic compounds and it is also employed to elucidate structure-activity relationships in the hibiscone family of natural products. The new instrumentation is being utilized for studies on solar energy conversion to be stored as chemical energy and for the study of immobilized surface luminescent materials, and for the study of the DNA-binding proteins having a motif known as AT hook.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.