We are trying to obtain a used NMR (Bruker AC series) from a reputable firm. I believe we can get the funds together from a number of sources and get it here, up and running. The problem is in discussion of who is to keep it up and running i.e. who is supposed to pay for the cryogens. I would like to see, at least for an initial period of time or if it is to be used as a teaching instrument as well as a research instrument, departmental support for cryogens. The person who will soon be interim assistant chair of our department would like all cryogens costs shifted to grant funding (not sure he realizes what is involved in properly shutting down a magnet when your grant is up?!). I've done a little searching on AMMRL and haven't seen this discussed yet. For what it's worth, department supply budget is $55k a year and things are tight as it is.
Anyway, I thought I would post to AMMRL to see what similar sized institutions are doing. We are a primarily undergraduate institution (approximately 10,000 full-time students) with a small (usually 5 students maximum) M.S. degree program of our own and a shared environmental science Ph.D. program between our department and three other departments in both the "soft" and "hard" sciences. We currently have a Hitachi R-1200 60 MHz permanent magnet instrument and are told that Memphis is 80 miles away if we need research quality spectra. The 60 is not too good for undergraduate organic lab quality spectra (I usually provide numerous hints when our students are doing unknowns) and clearly not suitable for publication quality spectra (but since that only affects the synthetic chemists, we get to suffer). Another issue is that there is a push to move up to a Doctoral II institution from a Comprehensive I which may require getting a high-field NMR of our own.
Thanks in advance!
Mike
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Dr. Michael J. Panigot
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Arkansas State University
PO Box 419
117 S. Caraway Rd.
State University, AR 72467-0419
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Received on Wed Jun 16 2004 - 10:51:33 MST