Buies Creek, N.C.–The department of Chemistry and Physics at Campbell University has announced the acquisition of a new Anasazi Instruments broadband Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer. Since nuclear magnetic resonance was first observed in 1945, it has grown to become a technique of monumental importance to modern chemistry. A Nobel Prize was awarded in 1952 to scientists Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell for their discovery of NMR. Since then, NMR techniques have been responsible for two Nobel Prizes in chemistry (1991 and 2002), and for one Nobel Prize in medicine (2003). The acquisition of an NMR spectrometer is not only a major milestone in the development of Campbell University’s chemistry and physics program, but also satisfies an important requirement in the department’s quest to offer a degree certified by the American Chemical Society. “This spectrometer really advances the educational capacity of our science program,” said Dr. Brian Kesling, assistant professor of chemistry. “We want our graduates who go on to graduate school, medical school, or into industry, to be as competitive as they can be. Experience with this instrument helps to ensure that they are and the purchase of this instrument shows a real commitment on the part of the Campbell University’s administration to the science program at Campbell.”The $100,000 NMR spectrometer contains a permanent magnetic field of about 1.4 Tesla (unit of magnetic flux density). NMR active nuclei will act as tiny magnets and align with or against this magnetic field when they are placed in the instrument. Nearly every element known has an NMR active isotope, but the most commonly used nuclei in NMR experiments are hydrogen and carbon-13. In addition to these nuclei, the chemistry/physics department’s new spectrometer can also be tuned to observe fluorine-19, sodium-23, phosphorus-31, and silicon-29. Passing a large electric current through a wire coil around the NMR sample will perturb the instrument’s magnetic field, and the nuclei give off a measurable electric signal as they relax back into line with the original field. Each atom’s nucleus gives off a slightly different signal depending on the electrons surrounding the atom. By analyzing these signals, important information about the structure of a chemical compound can be obtained. “If I can tell how many different types of carbon there are and how many different kinds of protons (hydrogen) there are, I can also tell all kinds of connectivity data that lets you piece together what the structure of the chemical might be,” said Kesling. “Of course you want to know what kind of chemical you’re dealing with.” In addition to determining the structure of a particular chemical, NMR can be used in kinetics experiments. Watching a particular peak in the spectrum disappear as another peak appears allows the scientist to measure how fast a reaction occurs, by indirectly watching chemical bonds being broken and formed. Another common use for NMR is to check the product of a reaction. Once a compound has been made and its NMR spectrum has been recorded, it is a simple matter to record the NMR spectrum of a new product and compare. If the two spectra are the same, then the compounds are the same. NMR spectra for hundreds of thousands of compounds have been measured and published for chemists to compare their spectra to. The versatility of the spectrometer allows it to be used in the two semester organic chemistry course as well as in quantitative analysis, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and in advanced physics. The practical applications for use in chemistry, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry are endless, Kesling added. NMR is currently being used to determine the structure of many large biological compounds. These compounds are as diverse as the peptide chains that make up spider silk to the plaques that cause Alzheimer’s. “Your brain is full of receptors and once these are blocked by plaque, they cease to function properly,” he said. “If you can measure distances between atoms in these plaques and determine their structures, you may be able find substances that can help break them down.”Dr. Brian Kesling graduated from Glenville State College and went on to receive a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from West Virginia University.Photo Copy: Dr. Brian Kesling, assistant professor of chemistry at Campbell University, and the university’s new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer
Introduction of NMR enhances Campbell science program