MRI: Acquisition of an EPR Spectrometer for Variable Temperature Measurements

在主要研究仪器项目（MRI）和化学研究仪器项目（CRIF）的支持下，华盛顿大学的Liviu Mirica教授及其同事Robert Blankenship， William Buhro, d. Andre d'Avignon和Sophia Hayes将获得一台工作在x波段的EPR光谱仪。该仪器将允许在各种领域进行研究，例如那些提供有关生物相关物种在拥有不成对电子时如何表现的见解。一般来说，EPR光谱仪产生分子和固态材料的几何和电子结构的详细信息。它还可用于获取自由基的寿命信息，这些自由基是参与有价值的化学转化以及病理性肿瘤生长起始的短命、高活性物质。这些研究将影响许多领域，从无机和有机分子的合成到新型固态材料的开发，再到磁性和生物化合物。从正在进行的研究中汲取灵感，该仪器将成为华盛顿大学以及整个圣路易斯地区机构本科生和研究生研究和教学的一个组成部分。该奖项旨在加强各级的研究和教育，特别是在以下领域：(a)调查和开发金属基催化系统；(b)描述含金属生物分子的生物学重要性；(c)研究与太阳能转换有关的生物大分子组件；(d)表征纳米材料；(e)了解无机化合物的电子特性。

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) and support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program (CRIF), Professor Liviu Mirica from Washington University and colleagues Robert Blankenship, William Buhro, D. Andre d'Avignon and Sophia Hayes will acquire an EPR spectrometer that would operate at X-band. This instrument will allow research in a variety of fields such as those that provide insight on how biologically relevant species behave when they possess unpaired electrons. In general, an EPR spectrometer yields detailed information on the geometric and electronic structure of molecular and solid state materials. It may also be used to obtain information about the lifetimes of free radicals, short-lived, highly reactive species involved in valuable chemical transformations as well as the initiation of pathological tumor growth. These studies will impact a number of areas, from the synthesis of inorganic and organic molecules to the development of new solid state materials to compounds of magnetic and biological interest. Employing examples inspired from ongoing research, this instrument will be an integral part of research and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Washington University as well as institutions in the entire St. Louis area.The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) investigating and developing metal-based catalytic systems; (b) characterizing metal-containing biomolecules biological importance; (c) studying biological macromolecular assemblies relevant to solar energy conversion; (d) characterizing nanomaterials; and (e) understanding the electronic characteristics of inorganic compounds.