MRI: Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer for Accurate Mass Determination and Complex Mixture Analysis

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With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) and support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program (CRIF), Professor Patrick Willoughby from Ripon College and colleagues Colleen Byron and Robert Wallace will acquire a liquid chromatograph, time-of-flight mass spectrometer capable of providing accurate mass (LCMS-TOF-accurate mass). In general, mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical methods used to identify and characterize small quantities of chemical species embedded in complex matrices. In a typical experiment, the components flow into a mass spectrometer where they are ionized into the parent ion and its fragment ions and their masses are measured. This highly sensitive technique allows detection and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. An instrument with a liquid chromatograph provides additional structural identification power by separating mixtures of compounds before they reach the mass spectrometer. As a primarily undergraduate institution, Ripon's faculty embraces undergraduate research experiences as one of the most important outcomes of their research activities. The proposed instrument will directly impact the research experiences of a large number of students within the three-year project period, and many more in years to come. Undergraduate researchers will participate in activities with high schools. This instrument will also be shared with researchers from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh as well as those from Lawrence University.The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) developing new organic synthesis methodology involving acyl radicals and photoredox catalysis; (b) optimizing conditions for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of o-benzyne with a carbonyl ylide; (c) study the effects of byproducts of reactive oxygen species on electron-transferring proteins; and (d) studying the effect of lipid profiles on rotifer survival and the unpalatability of rotifer colonies.