Story and photos developed by University Communications.

T he Georgia College & State University Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy purchased a sophisticated high-field 400 megahertz (MHz) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrum Meter in its efforts to give students the best possible training.

“This is top of the line. That’s a Cadillac. It’s like going from riding a bicycle to driving a Mercedes Benz,” said Dr. Sayo Fakayode, chair of chemistry, physics and astronomy, with an ear-to-ear grin. Showing off the NMR to visitors, he looks like a kid in a candy store.

“That is the instrument that can tell you exactly the chemical structures of organic compounds,” he said. “The way you use an MRI to diagnose disease—we use this instrument to diagnose chemicals to know their structure.”

Housed in the new Integrated Science Complex (ISC), the new NMR Spectrum Meter cost $300,000 and will require $16,000 a year to maintain. Faculty and students can use the  NMR in almost any scientific method from organic synthesis, biochemistry,  bio-organic and material science to forensics, environmental science and analytical chemistry.

The NMR has a large magnet encased in a Dewar or vacuum container that holds liquid helium which, in turn, is encased in another Dewar holding liquid nitrogen. A solution of chemicals is prepared in a cylinder NMR test tube and placed in a carousel wheel that holds up to 24 samples. The wheel is then placed in the NMR, moving through liquid nitrogen. Readings appear on a nearby computer screen like peaks on a graph, showing structural molecules to minute detail.

Samples used to be transported to another university for examination. Georgia College’s old equipment was limited and could only read at 60 MHz, the maximum for its magnet. The new NMR reads at 400 MHz with a clear resolution.

Fakayode used the analogy of trying to locate a person in the United States with only their first name. It’s easier if you add a last name, a specific state and town, job and street address. The new equipment is like being given all the facts necessary to detect the answer, he said.

“To think of all the things we couldn’t do before,” Fakayode said, “this is an exciting moment.”

For a small, liberal arts university, Georgia College has an amazing array of scientific machinery. The new ISC is already out of space, he said. It’s a good problem to have, because equipment like this give Georgia College students an edge over their peers when applying for graduate school or jobs.

Fakayode is grateful for the support of the College of Arts & Sciences dean, provost and upper administration in getting Georgia College advanced equipment, like the NMR.

“For the size of the institution, for the size of this department,” Fakayode said, “ I think we’re in good shape, and we’ll continue to get students what they need to be prepared to be a doctor, a pharmacist—whatever they want to be.”

“I know how to drive a program,” he said. “The best way to drive a program is to expose your students to the best, because they desire the best.”