Purchase of a Liquid Chromatograph-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer

凭借化学研究仪器和设施：部门多用户仪器采购（CRIF：MU）计划的这一奖项，加州理工学院化学与化学工程系将获得液相色谱-飞行时间质谱（LC-TOF）系统。将利用新的LC-TOF的众多项目的代表如下：a）鉴定通过定向进化方法产生的新型细胞色素P450库的代谢物; B）鉴定和定量气溶胶的低聚组分，目的是了解其对健康和气候的全球影响; c）确定土星最大的卫星土卫六大气层的化学成分; d）引导有机合成，其中通过新颖且更有效的途径合成复杂的生物活性分子;和e）鉴定和定量植物中具有令人感兴趣的药理学性质的新生物活性分子。液相色谱-质谱检测是一种非常强大的技术，用于分离和分析复杂的混合物。 除了为广泛的令人兴奋的科学问题提供分析支持外，新的LC-TOF将发挥更重要的教育作用。首先是加强研究生和博士后目前的教育和研究活动，他们将接受质谱培训，并随时使用这种新的LC-TOF来实施他们的研究。第二，更重要的是，是谁参加夏季本科生研究奖学金和少数民族本科生研究奖学金计划的本科生的学习经验的增强。这些计划赞助有才华的本科生花一个夏天在加州理工学院校园的研究实验室工作，那些项目需要质谱的人将在这个设施接受培训和实践经验。

With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities: Departmental Multiuser Instrument Acquisition (CRIF:MU) Program, the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology will acquire a liquid chromatograph-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF) system. Representatives from the numerous projects that would take advantage of the new LC-TOF are the following: a) identification of the metabolites of libraries of novel cytochromes P450 that are generated by methods of directed evolution; b) identification and quantification of the oligomeric components of aerosols with the aim of understanding their global impact on health and climate; c) identification of the chemical composition of the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn; d) guided organic synthesis where complex bioactive molecules are synthesized by novel, and more efficient pathways; and e) identification and quantification of new bioactive molecules in plants with interesting pharmacological properties. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection is an extremely powerful technique used for the separation and analysis of complex mixtures. In addition to providing analytical support for a broad range of exciting scientific problems, the new LC-TOF will play a more important educational role. First is the enhancement of the current educational and research activities of the graduate students and post-docs who will receive mass spectrometric training and gain ready access to this new LC-TOF to implement their research. Second and more importantly, is the enhancement of the learning experiences of the undergraduates who participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Minority Undergraduate Research Fellowship programs. These programs sponsor talented undergraduates to spend a summer working in a research lab on the Caltech campus, and those whose projects require mass spectroscopy will receive training and hands-on experience at this facility.