MRI: Acquisition of a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Instrument for Research and Teaching

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This NSF-MRI grant has been awarded to an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New England (Biddeford, Maine) to purchase a state-of-the-art gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). A GC-MS is an instrument that allows for the separation and analysis of volatile and semi-volatile chemical components in mixtures and is an important analytical tool that is widely used in a variety of disciplines. The gas chromatograph volatilizes the sample by applying high temperatures and separates individual compounds in a column depending on their molecular weight or polarities by increasing the temperature of the column. The mass spectrometer component ionizes the separated compounds and detects their masses using the mass spectrometer, which facilities identification of the individual components. The GC-MS funded by this award will have a quartz quadrupole analyzer, a triple axis detector and both electron impact and chemical ionization modes to strengthen the analytical instrumentation for multidisciplinary research and teaching. The GC-MS will be used by faculty and students in the basic science departments (Biology, Marine Sciences, Chemistry and Physics, and Psychology) at UNE for a wide range of research projects, including: analysis of plant volatiles and hormones; secondary metabolites in algae; product distributions in chemical reactions; characterization of materials for photovoltaic and other ?green? nanotechnology applications; hormone levels excreted by fish and their correlation to behavior; and organic matter in river sediments. Faculty involved with these projects extensively include undergraduate students in their research activities, thus students will gain valuable hands-on experience with state-of-the-art analytical technology while participating in cutting-edge research in the fields of chemical ecology, chemistry, animal behavior and chemical oceanography. As the student body at UNE is comprised predominately of females, many of whom are first generation college students, individuals in this underrepresented group will gain exposure to techniques and instrumentation that will enable them to be more marketable and better prepared for future careers in science, industry and when applying to graduate programs. The GC-MS will also be used for classroom teaching activities in chemistry and biology, including discovery-based learning, and as part of outreach programs such as University of New England's NSF-funded GK-12 SPARTACUS program