MRI: Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatograph-ion Trap Mass Spectrometer for Undergraduate Research and Research Training

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With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, the Department of Chemistry at Harvey Mudd College will acquire a liquid chromatograph-ion trap mass spectrometer. It will be used in various research areas including, 1) natural product chemistry, specifically the chemotaxonomy of the soft coral genus Alcyonium, as well as chemical explorations of California endophytic fungi; 2) synthetic natural product chemistry, namely biomimetic cyclizations in the synthesis of endiandric acids; 3) organometallic chemistry, specifically catalyst design for asymmetric hydroamination; 4) organic chemistry, concerning stereocontrol in reactions of singlet oxygen; 5) the physical chemistry of liquid crystals, describing the thermodynamic behavior of asymmetric 2,7-diacyl fluorine liquid crystals; and 6) physical inorganic chemistry and materials science, focusing on experimental investigation of electronic coupling in metalloporphyrin dimers, as well as coupling and electron injection in dye-sensitized solar cells using zinc porphyrins on nanostructured zinc oxide.Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique used by chemists and biochemists to identify the chemical composition of a sample and its purity by measuring the mass of the molecular constituents in the sample. Chromatography is an isolation technique that precedes the mass spectrometry analysis. It separates a mixture into its several constituent chemicals which are then analyzed and identified by the mass spectrometer. This modern instrumentation will improve the education and training of undergraduate students in research. In addition to research projects at Harvey Mudd College and the Joint Sciences Department of the Claremont Colleges, the requested instrument will serve a consortium of undergraduate colleges in the area, providing much needed support to projects encompassing the study of natural products and biochemistry.