MRI: Acquisition of Mass Spectrometry Instrumentation for Chemistry and Biology Research

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, the Chemistry Department at Grinnell College will acquire an ion trap gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer for use in multi-departmental research projects spanning biology, chemistry, and neuroscience. The instrumentation will support a range of research activities, including 1) investigations to probe solution structure, ligand binding and protein dynamics by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry; 2) characterization of organoheterobimetallic complexes to investigate their chemical ionization pathways; 3) studies of gas phase cation small molecule reactivity thereby examining metal-metal cooperativity; 4) investigations to differentiate Rubisco activase proteins that have been implicated in heat-stress response in plants; 5) measurements of endocannabinoids (eCBs) or their metabolites at the lizard neuromuscular junction; 6) identification of residues of nicotinic receptors that comprise the binding site for an allosteric modulator; and 8) studies of herbicides and pharmaceutical contaminants and their degradation products in ground and surface waters.Mass spectrometry (MS) is used to identify the chemical composition of a sample and determine its purity by measuring the mass of the molecular constituents in the sample after they are ionized and detected by the mass spectrometer. Chromatography is an isolation technique that precedes the mass spectrometry analysis. It separates a mixture into its several constituent chemicals which are then analyzed by the mass spectrometer. These are widely used analytical techniques to identify and quantify the chemical composition of a sample. It is important for undergraduate students to be trained in the technique using modern instrumentation. The instrumentation will be used by research students, in laboratory class instruction and in an outreach program involving middle school students.