MRI: Acquisition of a Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer

This award to California State University-Long Beach is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs to support and improve research by professor Xianhui Bu from and colleagues Michael Schramm, Young-Seok Shon and Fangyuan Tian. The institution is acquiring a single crystal X-ray difffractometer (SCXRD).

In general, an X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three-dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of a molecule relative to neighboring molecules. The studies described here impact many areas, including organic and inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, geology and biochemistry.

This instrument is an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training of undergraduate students in chemistry and biochemistry at this Hispanic Serving Institution as well as California State University Los Angeles. The instrumentation provides direct research experience for students in a variety of courses distributed in various departments and other neighboring universities.

The award of the X-ray diffractometer is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. The science enabled by this instrument provides relevant societal benefits through the development of new materials to address energy production, new catalysts to improve the synthesis of commodity and industrial chemicals. The instrumentation is also used for studying amino-acid-based homochiral porous materials with zeolite-type frameworks and for developing acid-base stable metal-organic framework materials (MOFs).

In addition, it benefits the exploration of mono and bisgold resorcinarenes as supramolecular catalysts and for investigating mechanisms of MOF catalysis based on structures of MOFs and trapped reaction intermediates (in collaboration with California State University Los Angeles). The diffractometer is also used to characterize fluorescent metal-organic frameworks for sensing explosive compounds.

Additionally, the diffractometer is utilized for the structural characterization of non-heme iron nitrosyl complexes and catalysis made from monometallic palladium, platinum and iridium nanoclusters.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.