MRI: Acquisition of an Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer for Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research and Teaching in Chemistry and Related Fields

查尔斯顿大学的Wendy Cory教授和他的同事Vijay Vulava、Marcelo Forconi、Brooke Van Horn和Jennifer Fox获得了这一重大研究仪器(MRI)项目颁发的奖项，他们将获得一台带有超高压液相色谱仪(UHPLCMS)的质谱仪。该奖项将加强各级的研究、培训和教育，特别是在以下领域：(A)研究药物活性化合物在环境中的去向；(B)量化野生型和突变酵母线粒体中存在的目标蛋白的相对数量；(C)测定SdsA1酶对十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)和类似底物的水解动力学；以及(D)检测含有合成单体的可水解性降解的共聚酯。液体色谱仪在加压下将混合物分离成其分子组分。这些组分流入质谱仪，在那里它们被电离成母离子，碎片离子及其质量被测量。这项高度灵敏的技术可以确定复杂混合物中物质的特性及其结构和数量。这种仪器将为两个系的教职员工和学生提供使用现代、更灵敏的仪器进行研究项目的机会。它还将用于几门实验室课程，以培训大量学生使用这一重要的分析技术。

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professor Wendy Cory from the College of Charleston and colleagues Vijay Vulava, Marcello Forconi, Brooke Van Horn and Jennifer Fox will acquire a mass spectrometer with an ultra high pressure liquid chromatograph (UHPLC-MS). The award will enhance research training and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) studying the environmental fate of pharmaceutically active compounds; (b) quantifying relative amounts of target proteins present in wild-type and mutant yeast mitochondria; (c) determining the kinetics of hydrolysis of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and similar substrates by the SdsA1 enzyme; and (d) examining hydrolytically degraded co-polyesters with incorporated synthetic monomers.A UHPLC-MS combines the physical separation capability of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis ability of mass spectrometry. The liquid chromatograph under pressure separates a mixture into its molecular components. These components flow into a mass spectrometer where they are ionized into a parent ion and fragment ions and their masses are measured. This highly sensitive technique allows the identity of the substances in a complex mixture to be determined and their structures and quantities. This instrumentation will provide faculty and students in two departments the opportunity to pursue research projects using modern, more sensitive instrumentation. It will also be used in several laboratory courses to train significant numbers of students in the use of this important analytical technique.