Mass spectrometry to underpin synthetic chemistry at Edinburgh

质谱法支撑爱丁堡的合成化学

• 批准号: EP/D029686/1
• 负责人: David Leigh
• 金额: $ 66.01万
• 依托单位: University of Edinburgh
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2006 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FD029686%2F1
• 关键词: Mass; spectrometry; underpin; synthetic; chemistry

Mass spectrometery is one of the main tools which a chemist can use to work out the structure and constitution of chemical species. Mass spectrometers are large, complex instruments and, like any complex instrument (such as a car or a TV) they cannot be expected to work indefinitely. In addition, manufacturers have made enormous improvements over the past 20 years in the ways in which mass spectrometers can be used. Here at the University of Edinburgh, we purchased our last 'work-horse' mass spectrometer exactly 20 years ago. A new mass spectrometer is needed to support the research work in Chemistry (see below). Mass spectrometers need to be operated and carefully looked after by highly trained technicians; we have also asked for part of the salary of a senior technician in this application.The University of Edinburgh School of Chemistry has a large number of independent research groups, all working on different aspects of new chemistry, so a wide range of science will be supported by this instrument. Most of this work will involve making things which have never been made before - sort of like making a new Lego construction -only on an unimaginably tiny scale. In one area called 'supramolecular chemistry' new molecular machines can be made which help to put themselves together ('self-assembly'). All of biology is controlled by chemical processes and in 'biological chemistry' we present projects which include therapeutic metal complexes, the folding of protein molecules, the chemistry of enzymes and biosynthesis (how organisms make chemicals) and biomodelling. Traditional aspects of organic and inorganic chemistry include catalysis of 'mirror image' reactions, synthesis of chemicals which occur in nature, synthesis of small 'building-block' organic molecules by new methods, new routes to unusual sugar (carbohydrate) species and design of new molecules (ligands) which can capture metal ions.In all these areas, a new mass spectrometer will allow research workers to monitor the chemistry of their reactions more efficiently and to identify and characterise the products to a standard required for publication in the best international journals.

质谱学是化学家研究化学物种结构和组成的主要工具之一。质谱计是大型、复杂的仪器，就像任何复杂的仪器(如汽车或电视)一样，不能指望它们无限期地工作。此外，在过去的20年里，制造商在质谱仪的使用方式上取得了巨大的进步。在爱丁堡大学，我们在整整20年前购买了最后一台“主力”质谱仪。需要一种新的质谱仪来支持化学研究工作(见下文)。质谱仪需要由训练有素的技术人员操作和仔细维护；我们还要求在这一应用中支付一名高级技术员的部分工资。爱丁堡大学化学学院有大量独立的研究小组，所有小组都致力于新化学的不同方面，因此这种仪器将支持广泛的科学。这项工作的大部分将涉及制造以前从未制造过的东西--有点像制造一个新的乐高建筑--只是规模小得难以想象。在一个被称为“超分子化学”的领域，可以制造新的分子机器，帮助它们自己组装起来(“自组装”)。所有的生物学都是由化学过程控制的，在“生物化学”中，我们提出了一些项目，包括治疗性金属络合物、蛋白质分子的折叠、酶的化学和生物合成(生物体如何制造化学品)和生物建模。有机和无机化学的传统方面包括“镜像”反应的催化，自然界中化学物质的合成，用新方法合成小的“积木”有机分子，寻找不寻常的糖(碳水化合物)物种的新途径，以及设计能够捕获金属离子的新分子(配体)。在所有这些领域，一种新的质谱计将使研究人员能够更有效地监测他们的反应的化学，并根据发表在最好的国际期刊上所要求的标准来鉴定和表征产品。