Structure Determinations of Conformations by NMR

通过这一奖项，有机和高分子化学项目支持了加州理工学院化学系约翰·D·罗伯茨教授的工作。这项研究将继续罗伯茨教授利用核磁共振光谱学对有机分子几何结构的研究。取代乙烷和丙烷构象的快速相互转化混合物的分子形状将在不同的溶剂中进行研究。这些研究将有助于我们了解溶剂化作用对有机分子构象的影响。这项工作尤其重要，因为大部分工作将在非水、非质子溶剂中完成，这些溶剂可以作为折叠生物化学分子内部极性基团、电离基团和氢键基团之间相互作用的模型。在这些研究中将采用实验和理论相结合的方法。对决定分子形状的因素的基本了解将在从制药到生物聚合物的各个领域产生广泛的影响。这个项目的一个重要方面将是本科生参与研究。这些调查旨在为本科生提供重要的研究问题，这些问题有可能对化学和生物产生重大影响。

With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program supports the work of Professor John D. Roberts, of the Chemistry Department at California Institute of Technology. This research will continue Professor Roberts' investigations of the geometries of organic molecules using NMR spectroscopy. The molecular shapes of rapidly interconverting mixtures of conformers of substituted ethanes and propanes will be studied in various solvents. These investigations will contribute to our knowledge of the influence of solvation on the conformation of organic molecules. This work is especially significant as much of it will be done in non-aqueous, aprotic solvents, which serve as models for the interactions between polar, ionized and hydrogen-bonded groups in the interiors of folded biochemical molecules. A combination of experiment and theory will be used in these studies. A basic understanding of the factors that determine molecular shapes will have wide implications in areas ranging from pharmaceuticals to biopolymers. An important aspect of this project will be the involvement of undergraduates in the research. These investigations are designed to provide undergraduate students with important research problems with the potential to have a significant impact on chemistry and biology.