MRI: acquisition of a gas chromatograph isotope ratio mass spectrometer for compound-specific isotope analysis

该奖项支持锡拉丘兹大学（SU）购买一台气相色谱仪和一台同位素比质谱仪（GC-IRMS）。GC-IRMS系统允许分析从蜡到氨基酸到合成有机化合物的特定类别的有机材料中的氢、碳和氮的稳定同位素比率。通过分离具有已知合成、沉积和降解途径的单一化合物类型的同位素特征，GC-IRMS仪器使我们能够将同位素信号与特定的化学、物理或生物过程联系起来。因此，这一工具将使SU的广大用户能够生成数据，解决各个领域具有紧迫社会重要性的问题。例如，对陆生植物产生的脂类化合物进行氢同位素分析，可以量化降雨中的古气候变化。然后，这些数据可以用来评估气候模型的技能，并磨练我们对这些模型未来预测可靠性的理解。氨基酸中氮和碳同位素的分析也有可能促进我们对海洋生态系统对过去和当前全球变化的反应的理解。该仪器还具有重要的教育功能，为本科生和研究生提供可直接转移到STEM职业的实验室和分析技能培训。此外，GC-IRMS将支持正在进行的努力，为服务不足的K-12和社区大学学生创造暑期实习机会，直接接触STEM领域的未来职业道路。GC-IRMS技术联合收割机将GC提供的色谱分辨率与质谱法提供的精确同位素测量相结合。这种类型的仪器将支持正在进行的NSF资助的古气候学，生态学和地球化学研究。例如，SU的GC-IRMS的存在将使陆地叶蜡的氢同位素分析成为可能，这将用于重建地球历史上过去温暖时期的季风动力学。此外，对鲸须和碳酸盐贝壳结合有机物的氮、碳同位素分析将为海洋生态系统营养网的重建提供支持。 SU和附属机构的其他用户将使用特定化合物的同位素方法来询问对淡水微生物生长的控制，河流系统中污染物的转化以及陆地生态系统中多营养相互作用的结构和功能。因此，GC-IRMS填补了锡拉丘兹大学在研究基础设施方面的重大空白，并将支持地球科学各学科前沿研究的继续和发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the acquisition of a gas chromatograph coupled to an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (GC-IRMS) at Syracuse University (SU). GC-IRMS systems permit the analysis of stable isotopic ratios of hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen in particular classes of organic materials ranging from waxes to amino acids to synthetic organic compounds. By isolating the isotopic signature of a single compound type with known pathways of synthesis, deposition, and degradation, GC-IRMS instrumentation allows us to link isotopic signals to particular chemical, physical, or biological processes. This instrument will therefore enable a broad group of users at SU to generate data that addresses questions of pressing social importance in a variety of fields. For instance, hydrogen isotopic analyses of lipid compounds produced by terrestrial plants can quantify paleoclimatic changes in rainfall. These data can then be used to evaluate the skill of climate models and hone our understanding of the reliability of future projections from these models. Analysis of nitrogen and carbon isotopes in amino acids also have the potential to advance our understanding of ocean ecosystem responses to both past and current global change. The instrument also serves an important educational function, providing undergraduate and graduate students with training in laboratory and analytical skills directly transferrable to STEM careers. Additionally, the GC-IRMS will support ongoing efforts to create summer internship opportunities for underserved K-12 and community college students, providing direct exposure to future career pathways in STEM fields. GC-IRMS techniques combine the chromatographic resolution provided through GC with the precise isotopic measurements provided by mass spectrometry. This type of instrumentation will support ongoing NSF-funded research in paleoclimatology, ecology, and biogeochemistry. For instance, the presence of a GC-IRMS at SU will enable hydrogen isotopic analyses of terrestrial leaf waxes, which will be used to reconstruct monsoon dynamics during past warm intervals in Earth history. Moreeover, nitrogen and carbon isotopic analyses of baleen and carbonate shell-bound organic matter will support reconstructions of trophic webs in marine ecosystems. Additional users at SU and affiliated institutions will use compound-specific isotopic methods to interrogate the controls on the growth of freshwater microbialites, the transformation of pollutants in fluvial systems, and the structure and function of multi-trophic interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. The GC-IRMS therefore fulfills a major gap in research infrastructure at Syracuse University and will support the continuation as well as the growth of cutting-edge research across a variety of disciplines of Earth Sciences.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.