CAS: Sustainable Analytical Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Biological Compounds

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Susan Olesik and her group at Ohio State University are working to improve the capabilities of powerful analytical methods that combine separation of complex mixtures (using chromatography) and detection of the components in those mixtures (using mass spectrometry). Specifically, they seek to improve the performance of both elements by adding liquefied carbon dioxide to the solvents used for separation. The Olesik group is engaged in fundamental studies aimed not only improving performance, but also reducing the amount of sample and solvent needed for the analysis. The insights gained should enable new capabilities in a broad range of fields, such as environmental and biomedical studies. Graduate and undergraduate students involved in the project gain state-of-the arts skills that will prepare them for STEM careers. To better inform the general public about the importance of sustainability, online presentations are being developed to teach nonscience undergraduates about the properties, use, and sustainability of solvents. The presentations highlight the widespread public uses of solvents and the associated environmental, health and safety risks. The expectation is that better and more widespread understanding of those risks can reduce their impact.The Olesik group is using biodegradable enhanced-fluidity mobile phases generated from biomass (e.g., water-methanol-CO2) for separation and mass spectrometric detection of biologically relevant compounds. These mobile phases will yield both higher sensitivity and enhanced sustainability. The approach can serve a wide range of applications involving analyses of many polar compounds. Proteins are used as model analytes because of the significant use of chromatography-mass spectrometry for their characterization and the need for improved analytical performance metrics for these compounds. Insights from the charge state distributions of representative proteins should provide evidence on the protein conformation while in enhanced-fluidity liquids. Through studies of relative ionization efficiencies and ion internal energies, mechanistic insights on the electrospray ionization process when using enhanced-fluidity solvent mixtures are anticipated.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.