CAREER: High Resolution Microwave Spectroscopy of Amino AcidDerivatives

肯特州立大学的迈克尔·图伯根在实验物理化学计划的支持下，利用傅里叶变换微波光谱技术确定氨基酸的酰胺类化合物的构象结构。同位素替代(自然丰度中的氚、氮-15或碳-13)将被用来识别参与分子内氢键的氢原子以及表征构象。还将研究与这些相同分子的溶剂van der Waals络合物的结构，特别是涉及水和模型二肽的络合物。这项研究的结果应该会改进对更大生物分子的建模。这一职业奖项的教育计划涉及对本科生物理化学课程的广泛修改。修改，如在实验室序列中加入基于激光的实验和多维核磁共振光谱学，将向学生介绍现代光谱学技术。将强调积极的社区外展努力和对本科生可接触到的研究项目的关注。

Michael Tubergen of Kent State University is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program in his studies to determine the conformational structures of amide derivatives of amino acids using Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy. Isotopic substitution (deuterium, nitrogen-15 or carbon-13 in natural abundance) will be used to identify the hydrogen atoms participating in intramolecular hydrogen bonds as well as to characterize the conformation. The structures of solvent van der Waals complexes with these same molecules will also be examined, especially complexes involving water and model dipeptides. The results of this research should lead to improved modeling of larger biological molecules. The education plan of this CAREER award involves extensive revisions of the undergraduate physical chemistry program. Modifications, such as incorporation of laser-based experiments and multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the laboratory sequence will introduce students to modern spectroscopic techniques. An aggressive community outreach effort and a focus on research projects accessible to undergraduates will be emphasized.