Equipment for Chemical Analysis to Serve Interdisciplinary Research

汉普郡学院的一个由化学、生物和地质学教师组成的跨学科小组将利用分析和分离化学的最新进展，以天然和人造材料的化学分析为中心，研究一组不同但又统一的问题。由于其独特的跨学科结构和让学生参与研究的强大历史，汉普郡学院自然科学学院在利用新技术进行跨学科研究和研究培训方面处于有利地位。例如，为了追踪锌等微量元素进入牙齿的路径并了解营养压力，生物人类学家、地质学家和化学家将合作进行化学分析，以确定饮食来源中的营养元素预测这些元素在牙齿中的浓度的程度。化学家、生态学家和地质学家将研究当地池塘中不同种类的铝。汉普郡学院的研究和研究培训的跨学科重点强烈支持建立一个可广泛访问的、灵活的化学分析实验室。需要资金用于购买和更新下列设备，以便能够分析重金属、轻金属和有机化合物：1)电感耦合等离子质谱仪(电感耦合等离子体质谱)。与现有的AA一起，电感耦合等离子体质谱将在定量分析不同生物和环境材料中的痕量金属浓度方面提供更高的灵敏度和多元素能力。2)高效液相色谱系统，以取代旧的系统，用于对有机化合物的生物和环境系统进行定量分析，并用于分离生理学家和生态学家感兴趣的生物化合物。3)用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)取代较老的仪器，加上已有的仪器(核磁共振、GC-MS)，将能够为高效液相色谱分离的化学物种提供定性的、在某些情况下是定量的结构信息。4)流动注射分析仪(FIA)将允许在线分析营养素等水溶性化合物，快速分析大量样品中的多种营养素。5)气相色谱/同位素比质谱仪(GC/IR-MS)将有助于有机化合物的分离、分离和鉴定；IR能力将使动物体内的稳定同位素研究成为可能。6)样品制备和数据处理的辅助设备包括微波消化器和其他样品制备设备以及用于控制实验和进行数据分析的计算机。化学分析是一个跨学科的会议场所，是教师和学生在生物学和环境方面研究的中心。下列项目领域构成了跨学科化学应用的一个连贯的研究重点：1)开发表征金属形态的分析技术(应用于水环境问题)，2)陆缘生态系统研究地点瓦科伊特湾底栖生物的营养再矿化，3)火山地球化学(花岗岩起源中的岩浆混合)，4)植物-昆虫化学生态学(研究阻止昆虫摄食的植物化学物质)，5)分析牙齿中的营养元素与已知饮食的关系，6)反刍动物蛋白质的营养生物化学。新仪器将在各种环境下支持教职员工和本科生的研究和研究培训。学生的研究训练将通过在高级课程中使用仪器，在课程中使用研究型项目和高级论文来加强。增加教师合作研究(也包括学生)将提高教师的工作效率。

An interdisciplinary group of chemistry, biology and geology faculty at Hampshire College will use recent advances in analytical and separation chemistry to study a varied yet unified group of problems, centering on the chemical analysis of natural and anthropogenic materials. Because of its unique interdisciplinary structure and strong history of involving students in research, Hampshire College's School of Natural Science is in a strong position to take advantage of new technologies for interdisciplinary research as well as for research training. For example, in order to track the path of trace elements such as zinc into teeth and understand nutritional stress, a biological anthropologist, geologist and chemist will collaborate in chemical analysis of the degree to which nutrient elements in dietary sources predict the concentrations of these elements in teeth. A chemist, an ecologist and a geologist will follow the different species of aluminum in a local pond. The interdisciplinary focus of research and research training at Hampshire College argue strongly for a widely accessible, flexible chemical analysis laboratory. Funds are requested for purchase and update of the equipment listed below that will enable analysis of heavy metals, light metals, and organic compounds: 1) An Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Along with an existing AA, an ICP-MS will provide increased sensitivity and multi-element capabilities in the quantitative analysis of trace metal concentrations in diverse biological and environmental materials. 2) A High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system, to replace an old system, for quantitative analysis of biological and environmental systems for organic compounds and for the separation of biological compounds of interest to physiologists and ecologists. 3) A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), to replace older units, along with instrumentation already available (NMR, GC-MS) will enable qualitative, and in some cases quantitative, structural information for chemical species isolated by HPLC. 4) A Flow-Injection Analyzer (FIA) will allow on-line analysis of water-soluble compounds such as nutrients, rapidly analyzing for multiple nutrients in numerous samples. 5) A Gas Chromatograph/Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (GC/IR-MS) will aid in separation, isolation and identification of organic compounds; the IR capability will enable stable-isotope studies on animals in vivo. 6) Auxiliary equipment for sample preparation and data manipulation include a microwave digester and other sample preparation equipment and computers to control experiments and for data analysis. Chemical analysis is an interdisciplinary meeting ground, central to both faculty and student research in biology and the environment. The following project areas form one coherent focus of research in interdisciplinary chemical applications: 1) development of analytical techniques for characterization of metal species (applied to problems in aqueous environmental problems), 2) remineralization of nutrients from the benthos of Waquoit Bay, a Land Margin Ecosystem Research site, 3) volcanic geochemistry (magma mixing in the origin of granitic rocks), 4) plant-insect chemical ecology (studies of plant chemicals produced as deterrents to insect feeding), 5) analysis of nutrient elements in teeth in relation to known diet and 6) nutritional biochemistry of proteins in ruminants. The new instruments will support faculty and undergraduate research and research training in a variety of settings. Students' research training will be enhanced through use of instrumentation in advanced courses, research-type projects in courses, and senior theses. Increased collaborative faculty research (involving students as well) will improve faculty productivity.