Chemistry & Biochemistry instrument will be only one south of Boston
A new Chemistry & Biochemistry instrument that will benefit the research activities of seven institutions in Southeastern New England will be celebrated during a grand opening ceremony, November 17, 2014, at 4p.m., at UMass Dartmouth's Research Building. Attendees will be given a tour of the facility that will house the dual source single crystal X-ray diffractometer. There are currently no single crystal X-ray diffractometers in Southeastern Massachusetts.
An X-ray diffractometer is an instrument used by researchers to determine the structure of a chemical from the scattering pattern produced when a beam of X-ray radiation interacts with the material. By measuring the angles and intensities of these, a research can produce a three-dimensional picture of the density of electrons that make up the compound. The instrument would allow for the single crystal structure determination of stable and air-sensitive compounds of inorganic, organic, and organometallic at various temperatures. The diffractometer is a dual-source instrument, meaning it has both a copper X-ray source, especially useful for studying organic chemicals and natural products, and a molybdenum X-ray source, suitable for examining inorganic chemicals and materials with heavy metals.
The new instrument was obtained through National Science Foundation funding to support the research activities of students and faculty at UMass Dartmouth, Bridgewater State University, UMass Boston, the University of Rhode Island, Salve Regina University, Rhode Island College, and Brown University. While the instrument will be housed at UMass Dartmouth, it will be made available to other institutions including area community colleges, through on-site visits and remotely via webcams and other software.
A range of research projects will be enabled by the X-ray diffractometer including those related to pharmaceutical activity, carbon dioxide capture, small molecule activation, development of therapeutic agents for iron or H2O2 imbalance, natural product chemistry for cranberries, and green chemistry.