Chemistry

With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Vassar College will acquire a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer with CCD detector. This instrument will facilitate research in a number of areas: (1) the investigation of paramagnetic and air-sensitive coordination compounds; (2) the structural investigation of microcrystalline extended structure network materials; (3) examination of twinned derivatives of giant fullerenes; (4) the study of hydrogen bonding structures exhibited by organic anion receptors and synthetic peptide mimics; and (5) the analysis of biologically active small molecule and natural product compounds. The X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and it provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of the molecule relative to the neighboring molecules. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas, especially materials chemistry, biochemistry and medicinal chemistry.