For Immediate Release
Contact:
John M. Martino
Phone Number: (215) 895-1186
Date: 02/15/02
University
of the Sciences in Philadelphia Installs State-of-the-Art Nuclear Resonance
Spectrometer One
of the most powerful instruments that identifies three-dimensional structures
of molecules was recently unveiled at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
(USP). USP students and faculty
now have access to a new state-of-the-art Bruker AVANCE 400 nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) spectrometer, which is an important experimental tool
for chemists and biochemists.
The
instrument is able to detect each unique type of NMR-active atom present
in a molecule, the number of atoms present, whether the atoms are adjacent
to each other on the molecular framework and how the atoms interact with
one another. For example,
in ethanol, which has the molecular formula CH3CH2OH,
various NMR experiments will determine that there are two different kinds
of carbon atoms in a 1:1 ration and three different kinds of hydrogen
atoms in a 3:2:1 ration in the molecule.
More
advanced NMR techniques, based on the same principles, allow scientists
to study the dynamics (movement) and structure (shape) of both snall molecules
and biologically important molecules, such as proteins, DNA and polysaccharides,
as well as their interactions with each other and with different drugs.
The
Bruker AVANCE 400 spectrometer is routinely used by students in organic
chemistry, instrumental analysis and physical chemistry courses, as well
as in graduate and undergraduate research projects.
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