Essential Upgrade to the Departmental EPR Spectrometer

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Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a vital research tool in many areas of chemistry and the only analytical method that allows direct detection of organic radical and transition metal paramagnetic species. Our departmental Bruker EPR spectrometer was acquired in 1998 and has never been upgraded. Due to the low sensitivity of this instrument, research is currently limited to simple paramagnetic systems and routine EPR experiments. Despite this, our instrument has great potential to be upgraded to the next generation in EPR technology and perform at a level comparable to a brand new instrument, yet at a fraction of the price. This will open the door to new areas of research, such as challenging paramagnetic transition metal complexes – a key focus of several research programs in our department.***The proposed upgrade package is designed to provide maximum performance and sensitivity by way of a high sensitivity X-band resonator, a digitally-enhanced EMX console, a liquid helium variable temperature unit, liquid nitrogen adapter kit and Xenon software package. The high sensitivity resonator provides sensitivity and resolution far superior to our current probe, while the digitally-enhanced console offers improved dynamic range for both signal amplitude and field, allowing even the weakest signals to be easily detected. The helium low temperature unit is essential for studying first row transition metal compounds by EPR spectroscopy. Finally, the Xenon software is user-friendly and extensive in its capabilities, enabling both spectral fitting and quantitative spin count measurements to be easily conducted. Further, the upgrade package is compatible with our robust electromagnet; hence, both the magnet and its power supply can be excluded from this proposal.***This upgrade is essential for researchers at the University of Calgary to maintain competitive research programs. The increased sensitivity and new detection limits will open the door to new avenues of research, and allow more research groups to explore EPR as a key spectroscopic technique.**