Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

All biological and physical studies of new compounds rely upon the accurate knowledge of their chemical composition. We are therefore requesting the funds necessary for the acquisition of a robust, benchtop elemental analyzer together with a high precision electronic microbalance and a modern control and data evaluation unit for fast analysis of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur content of a broad range of samples that include organics, inorganics and polymers. The requested elemental analyzer is fitted with an autosampler for round the clock analyses and its modern software is particularly well-suited for a multi-user configuration, as well as the training of HQP. ******There is currently no on-site instrumentation at Brock University for elemental analysis. This is preventing a team of four researchers from carrying out essential combustion analyses on a diverse range of systems that include important medicinal compounds, new catalysts and magnetic materials. If this is not urgently resolved it will have a catastrophic effect on the research progress of the team and jeopardise industrial collaborations by delaying the filing of composition-of-matter patents as well as the publication of work in top-tier journals. In addition, the requested elemental analyzer will also permit the facile characterisation of air and/or moisture sensitive compounds for Brock researchers, whose compounds are often too unstable to ship off-site to commercial facilities.**