Proposals

Abstract

We request funds to purchase an “unlimited use” license for Mestrelab’s MNova 14.2 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) processing software. NMR spectrometers are currently maintained by the Department of Chemistry in Bagley Hall and Chemistry Building, and by the School of Medicine in Health Sciences Building and South Lake Union. The Department of Chemistry instruments alone draw users from >900 Chemistry majors, >150 graduate students, and countless of other student researchers from across Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Data analysis is a crucial component of NMR spectroscopy, but unfortunately no standard piece of software exists on campus for facile collaboration within a group or across departments. NMR spectroscopy is a technique that allows for the identification of molecular structure based on the composition and connectivity of individual atoms. Specific NMR experiments can be used to: 1. Probe the identity and purity of compounds and materials made by chemists for applications in drug discovery, energy, and catalysis. 2. Study the rates at which chemical reactions proceed and the distribution of products that they produce. 3. Elucidate the structure of biomacromolecules (e.g. proteins, oligonucleotides) and measure the binding strength with other macromolecules or potential drug candidates 4. Assess the structure and properties of synthetic polymers (e.g. plastics) in solution and as solids 5. Determine how structure and/or binding events change as a function of temperature NMR spectroscopy is broadly utilized in industrial, academic, and government labs, with applications across chemistry, biology, medicine, and materials. The data produced by the NMR spectrometers at UW are only as strong as the tools we have to process and visualize it with colleagues and students.