Application by the School of Chemistry and the School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, for enhanced single-crystal X-ray diffraction facilities

我们正在根据战略装备进程为双探头单晶X射线衍射系统申请资源，以支持英格兰东部分子科学的广泛研究和开发计划，并将该设施建立为区域中心。用单晶X射线衍射法测定分子结构是一种关键的分析技术，它提供了关于固体化合物的组成、化学键、立体化学、分子内和分子间相互作用以及相变的信息，是无与伦比的。它通常也是最便宜的精密分析形式。这项提议寻求利用过去15年结晶学的技术进步，提供一种新的系统，能够产生从小分子晶体到生物材料的各种化合物的结构信息。这个新设施将提供大大改善的能力，远远不只是简单地更换现有的过时设备，这些设备在经济上已经变得不可持续。它将能够处理更小的晶体和更快地获取数据，使我们能够扩大用户基础并解决更广泛的问题，包括我们以前无法进行的实验，例如研究药物材料的温度相关相变。鉴于英格兰东部研究中心的地理分布，该仪器对UEA具有关键的战略重要性，并将作为一个普遍可访问的共享诺威治研究公园(NRP)设施运营。大学已同意提供长期的管理和维护支持，以确保在赠款有效期结束后继续成功运作。

We are requesting resources under the Strategic Equipment Process for a dual-probe single-crystal X-ray diffraction system to underpin a broad range of research and development programmes in molecular sciences in Eastern England and to establish this facility as a regional centre. The determination of molecular structure by single-crystal X-ray diffraction is a key analytical technique, unrivalled in the information it provides about constitution, chemical bonding, stereochemistry, intra- and intermolecular interactions and phase changes of solid compounds. It is also often the cheapest form of precision analysis. This proposal seeks to take advantage of the technological step-changes in crystallography in the last 15 years to provide a new system capable of generating structural information on a wide range of compounds, from small molecule crystals to bio materials. This new facility will offer much improved capability, well beyond simply replacing the existing outdated equipment that has become economically unsustainable. It will be able to handle much smaller crystals and acquire data much faster, enabling us to broaden the user base and to tackle a much wider range of problems, including experiments we were not able to carry out before, such as the study of temperature-dependent phase changes in pharmaceutical materials. Given the geographical distribution of research centres in Eastern England, this instrumentation is of key strategic importance to UEA and will be operated as a generally accessible shared Norwich Research Park (NRP) facility. The University has agreed to provide long term management and maintenance support to ensure the continued successful operation beyond the lifetime of the grant.