Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometer for Research and Teaching at a Large Minority Serving Institution

得克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校的Jorge L.Gardea-Torresdey教授和他的同事Katja Michael获得了化学研究仪器和设施多用户计划(CRIF：MU)颁发的这一奖项，他们将获得一台带有两个可交换软电离设备的液体色谱质谱计(LCMS)，即直接实时分析(DART)和电喷雾电离(ESI)。该光谱仪将用于化学系的一个服务设施，并支持来自其他部门和项目的更多研究人员，如地质学、环境科学和工程学、健康科学、生物学和物理学。该乐器还将服务于UTEP的学生以及附近埃尔帕索社区学院和华雷斯自治大学的教职员工和学生。主要研究项目包括植物螯合素、植物螯合素相关化合物和植物铁载体在荒漠植物对金属的吸收和运输、糖肽和(糖基)多肽-α-硫酸酯的光化学合成、人体对多环芳烃的暴露、有机金属化学、水体系中的超分子材料以及用于减轻错误折叠相关疾病的小分子伴侣类似物的开发。质谱学(MS)是一种用于探测密切结构细节和获得大量有机、生物和有机金属分子的分子组成的技术。这项研究也有望对环境产生积极影响。质谱法是发展最快、应用最广泛的分析仪器技术之一。正因为如此，让研究生和本科生接触到这种技术是很重要的，这种仪器将成为教学和研究不可或缺的一部分。

With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Multiuser Program (CRIF:MU), Professor Jorge L. Gardea-Torresdey and colleague Katja Michael from University of Texas at El Paso will acquire a liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (LCMS) with two exchangeable soft ionization devices, namely a direct analysis in real time (DART) and an electrospray ionization (ESI). The spectrometer will be used at a service facility at Department of Chemistry and support additional researchers from other departments and programs such as Geology, Environmental Science and Engineering, Health Sciences, Biology, and Physics. The instrument will also serve students from UTEP and faculty and students of the nearby El Paso Community College and Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. Major research projects describe studies of phytochelatins, phytochelatins-related compounds and phytosiderophores in the uptake and transport of metals in desert plants, photochemical synthesis of glycopeptides and (glyco)peptide-alpha-thioesters, human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organometallic chemistry, supramolecular materials in aqueous systems and development of small molecule chaperone analogues for alleviating misfolding-related diseases.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. This research is also expected to have a positive effect on the environment. MS is one of the fastest growing and most widely used analytical instrumentation techniques. Because of this, it is important for graduate and undergraduate students to be exposed to the technique and this instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research.