NRC opens world's first 900MHz NMR for solids

The National Research Council (NRC) officially opened a new $15-million National Ultrahigh Field NMR Facility for Solids in conjunction with the Univ of Ottawa. The facility - in operation since last September - is located on NRC's Montreal Road campus in Ottawa and will be jointly operated by the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences and the Institute for Biological Sciences It features a 900 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer provided by Bruker BioSpin Canada Ltd. It is the only spectrometer of its type in the world and is considered ideal for the characterization of innovative materials with application in the fields of health, energy and the environment. The NRC contributed $3 million to renovate the facility and move equipment from its Sussex St facility in downtown Ottawa. The collaboration with U of O facilitated investments of $4.4 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, $2.8 million from the Ontario Innovation Trust and $900,000 from Recherche Québec . Bruker contributed $2.7 million through a discount on the $11-million spectrometer. Other funding was provided by the NRC. The facility was named in honour of William G Schneider, NRC president from 1967 to 1980. Schneider was in attendance at the June 1 opening, which coincided with his 91st birthday....