State-of-the-Art Science
Ph.D. student maps atomic resolution of molecules using rare instrument in chemistry Professor Berryman’s lab at UM
University of Montana chemistry Assistant Professor Orion Berryman created the region’s only small-molecule X-ray facility at UM in 2014, when he purchased a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer valued at $515,000 using a grant from the National Science Foundation and support from UM’s Office of Sponsored Projects, the Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy.
The state-of-the-art instrument measures tiny crystal samples to determine composition at atomic resolution. This information tells scientists what the crystals are made of and how the atoms are arranged.
The device elevated UM’s science game, but Berryman needed one more thing: someone to operate the diffractometer. UM graduate student Dan Decato was quick to volunteer for the job of crystallographer.
Since landing the job, Decato has employed X-ray crystallography to identify the shape and connectivity of molecules ranging from bizarre macrocyclic compounds only bacteria in the Berkeley Pit could have made to tracing the nitrogen backbones of potential explosives. To date he has solved over 250 structures.
But his favorite sample came from his old mentor, Jim Phillips of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
“It was my first extremely air-sensitive crystal, but the most memorable part was reconnecting with a professor who had a huge influence on me,” Decato said.
Decato said he is especially grateful to Allen Oliver at the University of Notre Dame and Brian Patrick of University of British Columbia, two veteran crystallographers who have helped mentor him in this unique art.
“Their willingness to help a young crystallographer has facilitated more efficient and fruitful collaborations,” Decato said. “And meaningful collaboration is what makes what I do so interesting.”
But acting as the region’s only crystallographer is not the only thing keeping Decato busy these days. He also has been instrumental in enhancing UM’s general chemistry and advanced inorganic chemistry curricula by incorporating structure analysis into lab coursework.
Next up, Berryman will use another NSF CAREER grant to purchase a 3-D printer, which will be used to render molecular models from the X-ray data.
“The 3-D structures that X-ray diffraction affords are ideally suited for a tactile learning approach to chemical education,” Berryman said.
As for Decato, the native of Verona, Wisconsin, plans to complete his Ph.D. at UM and then parlay his crystallography experience into a job as a facility manager in a similar lab or remain in academia as a professor in a research program that heavily relies on crystallographic studies.
