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Powerful new tool advances chemistry research
by Valerie Shore
UVic researchers can now peer into the structure
of molecules in finer detail than ever before, thanks to a
sophisticated new instrument recently acquired by the university’s
chemistry department.
The 500-megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance
spectrometer, which was officially “opened” at a
ceremony on May 23, is the most powerful instrument of its
kind on Vancouver Island and one of only a handful in B.C.
It was purchased with a $750,000 equipment grant from the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
 “The
acquisition of this state-of-the-art instrument represents
the ongoing commitment of the federal government to university
research and innovation,” says UVic President Dr. David
Turpin. “Instruments such as this are absolutely essential
for our scientists to continue their world-class research
and teach the most advanced techniques to their students.”
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrosopy
uses very intense magnetic fields to take detailed snapshots
of molecules, much as an MRI machine takes images of the human
body. Researchers use these molecular snapshots to identify
what a molecule is made of and how all the atoms are arranged
within it. The more powerful the instrument, the more complex
the molecules it can analyse.
“NMR spectroscopy is the most important
instrument that chemists have to determine the structure of
molecules,” says Dr. Reg Mitchell (chemistry). It’s
an especially essential tool in modern synthetic chemistry,
in which researchers create novel molecules that aren’t
found in nature.
“The number of ways that atoms can be
joined together in a complex molecule is huge,” explains
Mitchell. “NMR spectometry is how we know what molecules
we’ve made and how they might interact with other molecules.”
The new instrument looks like a giant thermos
flask about metre-and-a-half tall and a metre in diameter.
At its heart is an extremely strong magnet, but most of the
space in the cylinder is taken up with refrigerant, which
is liquid helium cooled by liquid nitrogen. The “nuclear”
in NMR refers to the nucleii of atoms, which possess magnetic
properties.
Mitchell predicts that the new instrument
will soon be running 24-hours a day to meet demand. It will
be used in a wide range of research projects, including the
synthesis of molecules that make it easier for cells to absorb
drugs, and the development of molecules that change their
conductivity when exposed to light, for possible use as computer
components.
Photo: Christine Greenwood,
manager of chemistry's NMR facility. The new instrument is
in the background. Don Pierce photo
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