MRI: Acquisition of a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer for research and teaching on marine organisms and biogeochemistry

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The elements of the periodic table provide the building blocks for the earth and the organisms that inhabit it. Determining the elemental composition of organisms, along with other co-occurring environmental materials, provides valuable information for understanding basic molecular and ecological processes, determining controls on biological processes in the environment, and unraveling past environmental conditions on earth. Additionally, the elemental composition of biological and environmental samples is important information for resource managers and commercial producers. This award will fund (along with non-federal matching funds) the acquisition of a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer to be used by researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and faculty and students at nearby undergraduate colleges. The instrumentation will enable elemental measurements that will inform understanding of biogeochemical element cycling in the oceans and estuaries, as well as our knowledge of past environmental conditions and the potential response of marine species to future climate change. The instrumentation will used for both research projects and course-associated instruction for students at Bowdoin College and Colby College. Additionally, the instrumentation will provide enhanced, cutting-edge research opportunities for undergraduate students participating in Bigelow Laboratory?s on-site summer REU program and fall Changing Oceans semester program. The instrumentation will also improve research opportunities for postdoctoral researchers at the Laboratory and will enable Bigelow Laboratory to assist the local aquaculture industry with measurements of elemental composition of bivalves and macroalgae. This service will both support costs of maintaining instrumentation and enable growth of commercial output in Maine.The award will fund purchase of a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer equipped with a collision cell to reduce interferences via kinetic energy discrimination. An instrument such as the Thermo iCap Qc provides an extremely stable plasma and is capable of resolving relevant analytes such as Ti-48, Cr-52 and Fe-56. The instrument is equipped with highly efficient software, self-aligning injector, cone and lens assemblies, and fits on a benchtop. The award will also fund the purchase of an ESI seaFAST automated online sample introduction system that utilizes a resin chelation column to preconcentrate trace metal analytes of interest from seawater matrix prior to analysis.