Acquisition of an FTIR for the Nature Research Center, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

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0929898Tacker"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." This award will provide funding to acquire an infrared microscope and Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The instruments will be used for measuring apatite in igneous and metamorphic rocks of various origins. Data will be developed into process-base models for understanding geochemical processes in the crust, mantle, and volcanoes. The instrument will be housed on-site at the Museum?s Nature Research Center. The PI will have overall operational oversight. Maintenance costs will be supported by the State with full-time laboratory managers expected to be hired. The PI will use the new instrumentation to survey water and carbon dioxide in various apatite-based mineralogical samples. Various forms of apatite [Ca,Cl], [Ca,CO3], [Ca,OH] allow inference to relate apatite mineral chemistry to environmental conditions (fluid phase, crystallization, thermodynamics, etc). The FTIR will also be used to study pyrite oxidation/hydrolysis. Emphasis will be given to clay mineralogy. The PI will study the kinetic pathways of pyrite-clay interactions in order to understand long-term elemental and fossil preservation. The instrumentation will not only support the PI?s research but be applicable to other research foci including bioceramics, planetary geology, and acid mine drainage. The PI's proximity and working relationships with nearby colleges and universities will allow him to make this equipment available to underrepresented students. Scientific projects will be publically displayed. Exhibits will be tailored to younger students and are slated to be incorporated into the Museum's PBS programming. ***