University News
WIU Chemistry Professors Receive National Science Foundation Grant
September 11, 2013
MACOMB, IL – Four Western Illinois University chemistry educators have received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of nearly $250,000 to buy a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer for the WIU Department of Chemistry.
The proposal, for the $249,985 grant, was submitted to the NSF in January by WIU Professor T.K. Vinod and his co-investigators, Department of Chemistry Chairperson Rose McConnell, Assistant Professor Brian Bellott, Assistant Professor Jin Jin and Instructor Shaozhong Zhang. The funded project began Aug. 15 and will run through July 2016.
Vinod said the 400 MHz NMR spectrometer will help accommodate the expanding research needs at Western and provide access to such an instrument for the first time for students from Quincy University and Carl Sandburg College through a collaboration with the schools.
"NMR spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools available to chemists for the elducidation of the structure of molecules," said Vinod. "It is used to identify unknown substances, to characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules and to study the dynamics of interactions between molecules in solution.
He added that the results from studies using the NMR will have an impact in synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and biochemistry research being carried out in the department.
For more information on WIU's Department of Chemistry, visit wiu.edu/chemistry.
Posted By: Alisha Looney (AA-Looney@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
Connect with us: