Thin-layer chromatography - flame ionization / flame photometric dual detection system

我们需要薄层色谱(TLC)仪器，这是一种复杂的分析工具，用于测量样品提取物中的有机化合物。我们要求的特定TLC仪器是独一无二的，因为它有一个双重检测系统，包括一个用于碳化合物的火焰电离检测器(FID)和一个用于含磷和/或硫化合物的火焰光度检测器(FPD)。世界上只有一家TLC-FID/FPD仪器制造商，北美也只有一家供应商。我们建议使用这种仪器来测量在海洋食物网和水产养殖中至关重要的化合物。我们将确定中性脂类，包括碳氢化合物、三酰甘油和甾醇，以及极性脂类。这台仪器将取代我们已有13年历史的TLC-FID，它一直在故障。新的模型及其配置将使我们能够扩展到两个新的重要研究领域：磷脂类和硫脂。到目前为止，磷脂类是大多数生物膜的主要脂成分，硫脂是藻类的主要脂成分。人们对膳食脂肪在海洋生态系统和水产养殖中的重要性以及将海洋脂肪用作生物标记物的重要性有相当大的兴趣，而且兴趣越来越大。海洋脂类包括几种在结构和功能上有很大差异的脂类。结构上的差异使它们可以用作生物标记物。在生物标记物方法中，某些标志性化合物被用来整合定义生态系统状态的生物、物理和化学参数。使用这些化合物，我们可以量化基本营养物质和有害化合物的输入，我们可以追踪它们的路径。TLC-FID/FPD将支持几个项目，在这些项目中，我们的任务是确定对动物生长至关重要的或可用作海洋环境中发生的过程标记的类脂化合物。鉴于陆上渔业持续存在的问题、对新渔业物种的兴趣以及该地区水产养殖和油田开发水平的不断提高，对纽芬兰食物网中的脂肪进行测量是及时的。

We are requesting a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) instrument, which is a sophisticated analytical tool used to measure organic compounds in sample extracts. The particular TLC instrument we are requesting is unique as it has a dual detection system consisting of a flame ionization detector (FID) for carbon compounds and a flame photometric detector (FPD) for compounds containing phosphorus and/or sulphur. There is only one manufacturer of this TLC-FID/FPD instrument in the world and only one supplier in North America. We propose to use this instrument to measure compounds that are critical in marine food webs and aquaculture. We will determine neutral lipid classes including hydrocarbons, triacylglycerols and sterols, and polar lipid classes. This instrument will replace our 13 year old TLC-FID which keeps breaking down. The new model and its configuration will be such as to allow us to also expand into two new, important areas of research: phospholipid classes and sulpholipids. Phospholipid classes are by far the major lipid components of most biological membranes and sulpholipids are major lipid components of algae. There is considerable and growing interest in the importance of dietary lipids in marine ecosystems and aquaculture, as well as in the use of marine lipids as biomarkers. Marine lipids comprise several lipid classes with considerable differences both in structure and function. The differences in structure permit their use as biomarkers. In the biomarker approach, certain signature compounds are used to integrate biological, physical and chemical parameters that define the status of an ecosystem. Using these compounds we can quantify inputs of essential nutrients and of deleterious compounds and we can trace their pathways. The TLC-FID/FPD will support several projects wherein our task is to determine lipid compounds that are either critical to animal growth or that can be used as markers of processes occurring in the marine environment. Measurement of lipids in Newfoundland food webs is timely given the continuing problems with the ground fishery, interest in new fishery species, and the increasing level of aquaculture and oil field development in this area.