Purchase of a MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometer

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program will assist the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State University 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) the synthesis of base- and sugar-modified oligonucleotides, peptides incorporating non-natural amino acids, phosphonate peptide analogs and nucleic acids, (2) the development of new sequencing methodologies for phosphorothiolate oligonucleotides, (3) the analysis of conducting oligomers and polymers, (4) the synthesis and characterization of three-dimensional electronic organic structures, and (5) studies in the the area of organized media. 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.