MRI: Acquisition of a 600 MHz NMR console

This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the acquisition of a radio-frequency console for a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer which will be operated at the high-field NMR facility of the University at Buffalo (UB), The State University of New York (SUNY). The new console will enable researchers to acquire NMR data of unprecedented quality with high sensitivity and accuracy. Moreover, it will become possible to detect NMR spectra of different types of atomic nuclei simultaneously. The newly developed operating software installed on the console will greatly simplify routine data acquisition and opens new opportunities to implement outstandingly complex NMR experiments. As a result, the new console will enable cutting-edge research in the areas of NMR-based (i) methodology development, (ii) structural biology, (iii) metabolic profiling to diagnose diseases, (iv) studies of organic structures of high interest for nanotechnology, (v) studies of reactive intermediates of enzymatic reactions, (v) investigation of novel types of materials such as solution-derived graphenes and bottle-brush copolymers, (vi) detection of intermediates in organic syntheses and characterization of complex alkaloids related to drug development, and (vii) elucidation of novel reactions to chemically modify proteins in vitro and in vivo. The UB NMR facility is accessible to other academic institutions in the greater Buffalo area, such as the Roswell Park Cancer Research Institute and colleges such as SUNY-Fredonia. Hence, the new console will greatly strengthen the scientific infrastructure of Western New York. Furthermore, undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral researchers will receive excellent training in applying modern NMR spectroscopy to solve challenging scientific problems of the 21st century. Undergraduate research is aggressively promoted through NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) sites and UB's Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) funded by the State of New York State to provide services and resources to talented underrepresented minority students. Research results obtained by using the new console will be disseminated through peer reviewed publications, conference presentations such as posters and talks, and internet based portals, such as the NSF supported NMR 2.0 site (http://www.nmr2.buffalo.edu).