MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a 80 MHz NMR to Facilitate Undergraduate Research and Education at Stevenson University

This award is funded by the Major Research Instrumentation Program and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program in the Division of Chemistry. Professor Matthew Hudson from Stevenson University, on behalf of William Harrell and colleagues in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is acquiring an 80 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer with a 20-sample changer to enhance the research and teaching infrastructure in the university.

In general, NMR spectroscopy is a vital tool for chemists in the pursuit of the structure of molecules, how specific atoms arrange, and even the dynamics of structures in both the solid and solution phase. The addition of an NMR spectrometer provides opportunities to expand the types and magnitude of research within the department and greatly enhances teaching and educational efforts.

The instrument extends student participation by giving hands-on access to a diverse population at Stevenson as well as the Community College of Baltimore County which consists primarily of underrepresented students.

The award of the 80 MHz NMR spectrometer enhances undergraduate research and educational preparation, especially in areas such as synthetic organic chemistry, materials science, bioinorganic chemistry, and physical organic chemistry. The addition of the NMR spectrometer allows for the development of new metal-organic frameworks and study of the dynamics of guest molecules hosted within these materials leading to the design of new functional materials for applications from drug delivery to carbon dioxide sequestration to catalytic applications.

The NMR spectrometer is critical in additional research project designing calixarene-based anion-receptor compounds that facilitate anion transport into organic solvents or liposomes that can be separated from the aqueous environment including investigation by NMR titration studies conducted to determine binding constants for a variety of different biologically relevant anions. Another research area is the catalytic modeling of complex biological systems through zeolite encapsulation of small low-coordinate iron complexes to model various nitrogenase systems which are instrumental in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen.

Further investigations enabled by the 80 MHz NMR spectrometer include the synthesis of compounds that are similar to naphthol derivatives by modifying the naphthyl or benzoxazole functional groups, characterizing ligand and metal-ligand complexes and verifying whether target compounds are viable for detecting and quantifying metal ions present in oyster samples from various estuaries in Maryland and the synthesis of trans-platinum complexes with triphosphine ligands to find new efficacious chemotherapeutics with alternative mechanisms of action from the clinical drug Cisplatin.

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.