LASER RAMAN SPECTROMETER

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Funds are requested to establish a multi-user Raman facility in the Chemistry Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The facility would contain instrumentation which is at the forefron in the field of Raman spectroscopy. This would include a Nd:YAG pumped, pulsed dye laser and wavelength extender, which provides wavelength tunability from 216 nm to the near infrared. Tunability is needed for maximum sensitivity in resonance Raman experiments. The spectrometer requested was chosen to provide the broadest possible research capabiflities. Developed by Instruments S.A., the macro/microspectrophotomer has both single and multichannel detection capabilities. A dedicated computer will be purchased with the system, which includes all of the software for multitasking operations and data analysis. The instrument can easily be switched from one sampling configuration to another (e.g. micro- to macro-sampling). Another important advantage of this system for a multiple user facility is its simplicity of operation. Since most operations are computer controlled, graduate students and faculty will quickly acquire the necessary skills to record spectra. Safety features are included which prevent damage of the sensitive dectors resulting from overexposure to light. There will be five major users of the Raman facility. These will include the Principle Investigator, a Raman spectroscopist, three additional NIH-funded faculty and one faculty member who is currently not funded by NIH. The research interests of the Principle Investigator are concerned with the development of surface enhanced Raman scattering techniques for the study of biomolecules. The long term goal is to utilize these techniques to study biomolecules in situ. The research interests of the other investigators include the study of laser desorption processes used in mass spectrometry of biomolecules, protein-DNA interactions, active metal powders for new synthetic methods, and metal- nucleotide interactions. The structural information available from Raman, resonance Raman and surface enhanced Raman methodology will benefit considerabley the on-going research efforts of these investigators. Raman spectroscopy is ideally suited for application to the diverse types of samples and problems under study. It is anticipated that additional faculty, both in Chemistry and other Departments at UNL, will also use the instruments.