MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Organic Molecular Research

这笔重大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，这些研究依赖于分析复杂有机分子中碳、氧和氮的稳定同位素特征，作为微生物活动和过去环境的替代指标。将获得的仪器包括：1)带有四极杆质量分析器和火焰离子化检测(GC/MS-FID)的气相色谱仪；2)带有高温裂解附件的GC；3)与制备级分收集器耦合的GC；以及4)高效液相色谱-飞行时间质谱仪(TOF-LC/MS)。这些仪器将被安置在一个中央设施中，并有一名专门的技术员。该设备将能够对各种天然有机化合物和实验有机化合物进行详细的结构分析和非破坏性收集，用于随后的化合物特定放射性碳测年、金属-配体络合物分析和稳定同位素分析，以开发地质记录中新的替代温度记录。五名PIs及其研究生的研究兴趣涵盖大气化学、全球碳循环、从藻类和陆地有机化合物的现代同位素组成开发环境指标、痕量金属络合作用、有机质的成岩途径、生物地球化学和分子地质微生物学，这些先进的能力将使他们受益。

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.