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

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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.