MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Organic Molecular Research

来自这项主要研究仪器赠款的资金将支持购买多种仪器，以支持生物地球化学和古环境研究，这些研究依赖于对复杂有机分子中C，O和N的稳定同位素特征的分析，作为微生物活动和过去环境的代理。 需要购置的仪器包括：1）配备四极杆质量分析仪和火焰离子化检测器（GC/MS-FID）的气相色谱仪; 2）配备高温热解附件的GC; 3）配备制备级分收集器的GC;以及4）高效液相色谱-飞行时间质谱仪（TOF-LC/MS）。 这些仪器将存放在一个集中设施中，并配备专门的技术人员。 该设备将允许对各种天然和实验有机化合物进行详细的结构分析和非破坏性收集，用于随后的特定化合物放射性碳测年、金属配体络合物分析和稳定同位素分析，以在地质记录中开发新的代用温度记录。 五个PI和他们的研究生与研究兴趣跨越大气化学，全球碳循环通过时间，从藻类和陆地有机化合物的现代同位素组成的环境代理的发展，微量金属络合，有机物的成岩途径，地球化学和分子地球微生物学将受益于这些先进的能力。

Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation grant will support acquisition of multiple instruments to support biogeochemical and paleoenvironmental research that relies on analyses of the stable isotopic signatures of C, O and N in complex organic molecules as proxies of microbial activity and past environments. Instruments to be acquired include: 1) a gas chromatograph with both a quadrupole mass analyzer and flame ionization detection (GC/MS-FID); 2) a GC with high temperature pyrolysis attachment; 3) a GC coupled with a preparative fraction collector; and 4) a high performance liquid chromatograph- time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF-LC/MS). The instruments will be housed in a centralized facility with a dedicated technician. The equipment will allow for detailed structural analysis and non-destructive collection of a broad range of natural and experimental organic compounds for subsequent compound-specific radiocarbon dating, metal-ligand complex analysis, and stable isotopic analysis for development of novel proxy temperature records in the geologic record. Five PIs and their graduate students with research interests spanning atmospheric chemistry, the global carbon cycle through time, development of environmental proxies from modern isotopic compositions of algal and terrestrial organic compounds, trace metal complexation, diagenetic pathways of organic matter, biogeochemistry, and molecular geomicrobiology will benefit from these advanced capabilities.