MRI: Acquisition of a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer for research and education in the chemical and biological sciences

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With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program and the Chemistry Division, Teresa Garrett from Vassar College will acquire a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF). The award will enhance research training and education especially in studies of the biochemistry of glycerophospholipid headgroup acylation in Gram-negative bacteria, the metabolic changes that occur during the establishment of symbiosis in Cnidarians, the biochemical modification of an enzyme involved in bio-bleaching, the structure of microbially derived biosurfactants, identification of ligands for orphan nuclear receptors, and characterization of fullerene organic reaction intermediates. This mass spectrometer (Q-TOF) will be coupled to a high-resolution liquid chromatography system. This combines the physical separation capability of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis ability of mass spectrometry. The liquid chromatograph separates a mixture into its molecular components. These components flow into a mass spectrometer where their masses, and those of their fragments, are measured. A Q-TOF mass spectrometer is a special design that provides high mass accuracy, sensitivity and resolution that allows detection and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. The instrumentation will provide faculty and students in several institutions including Vassar College, Marist College, Bard College, and SUNY New Paltz, the opportunity to pursue research projects using modern instrumentation not heretofore available at the institutions. It will also be used in several laboratory courses to train significant numbers of students in the use of this important analytical technique.