MRI: Acquisition of a LC/MS/MS for Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies and Training at Tennessee State University

一种将液-质联用(LC-MS/MS)的仪器用于分析复杂混合物中的多种化合物及其化学结构。获得这样的仪器使田纳西州立大学的环境工程、化学、食品科学、土壤科学和生物学的研究人员能够进行基础的多学科研究。主要研究活动包括努力促进以下方面的知识：1)杀虫剂在环境中的降解产品；2)去除药物的水处理工艺；3)降解水中毒素的工艺；4)苗圃害虫对杀虫剂的吸收；以及5)转基因食品中的农药残留。该仪器将成为台州大学研究基础设施的关键要素。LC-MS/MS将用于本科和研究生课程，并将促进与周围大学和研究中心的伙伴关系和合作活动。这种先进的LC-MS/MS仪器由一个质量范围高达3000 m/z的三重四极分析器组成，检测下限为ng/L水平。这一能力将使环境工程研究人员能够确定土壤和水中的七种新烟碱残留物和可能的降解产物，从而能够发现新烟碱在环境中的去向和运输。研究人员将监测新出现的污染物，包括地下水中的全氟化合物、地表水中的氰化毒素以及废水中药物和个人护理产品的残留，以加深对生物降解、光解和水解引起的降解过程对新出现污染物行为的影响的了解。LC-MS/MS将用于研究土壤和容器基质中杀虫剂残留量的分析方法，有效地处理苗圃害虫，包括金龟子、甲虫和火蚁。LC-MS/MS将使食品科学研究人员能够表征生物活性多糖的结构和功能变化，以了解更多关于工程食品的稳定性和保质期的信息。农业研究人员将使用该设备研究复杂的农药残留。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An instrument that pairs liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has the capability to analyze multiple compounds and their chemical structures in complex mixtures. Acquisition of such an instrument enables fundamental multidisciplinary research at Tennessee State University by researchers from environmental engineering, chemistry, food science, soil science, and biology. Key research activities include efforts to advance knowledge on: 1) degradation products of insecticides in the environment, 2) water treatment processes to remove pharmaceuticals, 3) processes that degrade toxins in water, 4) absorption of insecticides by nursery pests, and 5) pesticide residues in engineered food. The instrumentation will become a key element of TSU’s research infrastructure. The LC-MS/MS will be used in undergraduate and graduate courses and will promote partnerships and collaborative activities with surrounding universities and research centers.This advanced LC-MS/MS instrumentation consists a triple quadrupole analyzer with a mass range up to 3,000 m/z and a detection limit of ng/l level. This capability will allow environmental engineering researchers to determine seven neonicotinoid residues and possible degradation products in soil and water, enabling discovery of the fate and transport of neonicotinoids in the environment. Researchers will monitor emerging contaminants, including perfluorinated compounds in groundwater, cyanotoxins in surface waters, and residuals of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater, improving understanding of the effect of degradation processes due to biodegradation, photolysis, and hydrolysis on the behavior of emerging contaminants. The LC-MS/MS will be used to characterize the residual analysis of insecticides in the development of effective treatment methods of soil and container media for nursery pests including Chrysobothris, Japanese beetle, and fire ants. The LC-MS/MS will allow food science researchers to characterize the structure and functionality change of bioactive polysaccharides to learn more about the stability and shelf life of engineered food. Researchers in agriculture will use the equipment to study complex pesticide residues.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.