Purchase of a MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometer

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This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program will assist the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware to acquire a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas including the following: (1) copolymer characterization, (2) secondary structural analysis of oligonucleotides, (3) bond-selective photodissociation in proteins, (4) laser desorption/ionization experiments using subthreshold pulse energies, (5) molecular dynamics studies of the desorption/ionization process, (6) homopolymer desorption and cationization mechanisms, (7) quantitative analysis of natural and synthetic polymers, and (8) IR-MALDI using ice as a matrix. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a technique used to probe intimate structural details and to obtain the molecular compositions of a vast array of organic, bioorganic, and organometallic molecules. It affords the chemist one of the most powerful tools available for the characterization of compounds. The acquisition of enhanced capability in mass spectrometry is essential for the prosecution of frontier research in many fields of chemistry.