Low resolution mass spectrometer for fast characterization of heterocyclic compounds

新的具有药用价值的生物活性化合物的合成是治疗癌症、心血管疾病和其他医院感染的持续挑战，这在加拿大是主要关注的问题。大多数对这些疾病显示出有用的生物学特性的化合物都具有杂环骨架，如Panacene、Juglycin A、Mesmem ine、Lycoramine、黄曲霉毒素B或异羟基磷脂。不幸的是，这些产品的自然数量非常有限，其提取将破坏整个生态系统的生物多样性。因此，发现新的合成方法来快速获得这些结构对于潜在的生物医学应用是极其重要的。在此背景下，我们的研究项目致力于杂环化学新方法的开发及其在天然生物活性化合物全合成中的应用。在这项研究中，我们将不得不鉴定每个反应后得到的化合物的结构，以检查它们的可行性。在化学家可用的众多分析技术中，低分辨率质谱仪将是我们实验室不可缺少的有效工具。事实上，这项技术可以快速测定分子质量的化合物，是可靠的，易于使用，在化合物类型方面多才多艺，并且高度灵敏。由于它将每天用于检查我们的反应产物，这一分析仪器将代表着我们研究计划发展的一项重大资产。这项研究将通过发现新的反应类别来提高有机化学知识，并通过合成显示出高生物医学潜力的化合物而对加拿大人的健康产生长期好处。

Synthesis of new bioactive compounds of pharmaceutical interest represents a continuing challenge for curing cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other nosocomial infections, which is of major concern in Canada. Most of the compounds demonstrating useful biological properties against these diseases possess a heterocyclic skeleton such as panacene, juglomycin A, mesembrine, lycoramine, aflatoxin B or isohydroxypsorofebrin. Unfortunately, the natural quantity of these products is highly limited and its extraction would damage the biodiversity of a whole ecosystem. Consequently, it is extremely important to discover new synthetic methods to get these structures quickly for a potential biomedical application. In this context, our research program is dedicated to the development of novel methodologies in heterocyclic chemistry and their application in total synthesis of natural bioactive compounds. During this research we will have to identify the structure of the compounds obtained after each reaction in order to check their feasibility. Among the numerous analytical techniques available for the chemist, low resolution mass spectrometry would be an efficient and indispensable tool for our laboratory. Indeed, this technique, allowing a fast determination of molecular mass compounds, is reliable, easy to use, versatile in terms of the types of compounds and highly sensitive. As it will be used everyday for checking the products of our reactions, this analytical instrument will represent a major asset for the development of our research program. This research would lead to the improvement of organic chemistry knowledge by the discovery of new classes of reactions as well as to long-term benefits for the health of Canadians with the synthesis of compounds demonstrating a high biomedical potential.