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You are here: Home / Facebook / National Science Foundation grant funds purchase of NMR spectrometer
Faculty and administrators at Missouri State University-West Plains eagerly receive the 90MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer from Dr. James Thode, senior sales engineer at Anasazi Instruments, Inc. From left are Missouri State-West Plains Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Dennis Lancaster, laboratory supervisor Bobbi Dykes, Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Sharath Rongali, Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Joseph “Kip” Rugutt, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Jay Towell, Chancellor Shirley Lawler and Thode. (Missouri State-West Plains Photo)

National Science Foundation grant funds purchase of NMR spectrometer

The NMR spectrometer is one of the most powerful tools available for chemists to use to examine the structure of molecules.

2019 December 2 by University Communications

College and high school students in south-central Missouri have a new and powerful tool to use in their study of chemical compounds.

Officials at Missouri State University-West Plains recently purchased a 90 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer with funds from a three-year, $242,790 grant from the National Science Foundation.

It was installed Nov. 19 by an engineer from Anasazi Instruments, Inc., a leading manufacturer of spectrometers for educational and industrial markets.

One of the most powerful tools available 

The NMR spectrometer is one of the most powerful tools available for chemists to use to examine the structure of molecules, according to Dr. Joseph “Kip” Rugutt, professor of chemistry at Missouri State-West Plains and principal investigator for the grant.

“It is used to identify unknown substances, to characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules, and to study the rates of interactions between molecules in solution,” he said in the grant application.

“The NMR studies improve understanding of synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and biochemistry. This instrument is an integral part of teaching and the research performed by undergraduate students that will impact green chemistry and recyclable ionic liquids used to accelerate reaction rates,” he added.

Many innovative, guided inquiry experiments will be possible with the spectrometer, Rugutt said. Among them:

  • Research into specific chemical markers in samples of commercial honey to determine their levels of adulterations (if any), botanical origins and geographical origins;
  • Investigating the role of dispersants and agitation on water solubility of toxic organic compounds from crude oil in the context of a real or a simulated environmental oil spill;
  • Natural products experiments that will teach students important research techniques such as procedures for isolating individual chemical compounds from medicinal plants and bio-testing compounds for activities against various human cancer cell lines. 
Dr. James Thode, a senior sales engineer at Anasazi Instruments, Inc., shows Nicole Perry, Alton, a chemistry student at Missouri State University-West Plains, how to insert a test tube and spinner into the depth gauge used to acquire sample data in the university’s new 90MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. (Missouri State-West Plains Photo)

USTAR Initiative

Rugutt said the spectrometer also will be used in the bioinspired initiative Undergraduate STudent Achievers in Research (USTAR), which promotes student participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities at the university and area high schools.

“The goal of the USTAR program is five-fold: Recruit qualified high school students, freshmen and sophomores; support a broad array of exciting projects that promote student interest in STEM; improve retention of students, especially groups underrepresented in STEM, using effective student-centered metacognitive and mentoring strategies; strengthen the ongoing collaborative research with universities in Kenya; and offer career development activities that encourage students to pursue STEM courses in two- and four-year colleges and beyond,” he explained.

Highly competitive grant program

Rugutt said it is quite a coup for Missouri State-West Plains to receive the highly-competitive NSF grant from its Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program.

“During the fiscal year 2019 MRI competition, various institutions of higher education and not-for-profit, non-degree-granting institutions submitted proposals. With hundreds of excellent proposals and success rates of less than 20%, we feel humbled to have been among the few recipients of the award,” he said.

For more information about the grant and the spectrometer, contact Rugutt at JRugutt@MissouriState.edu.

For more information about the academic programs available at Missouri State-West Plains, call 417-255-7955.

Filed Under: Academics, Facebook, News Releases Tagged With: Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Grant, National Science Foundation, NMR Spectrometer, Physics

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