MRI: Acquisition of a Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer for Measuring Organic Compounds at the Interfaces of Earth’s Systems

该MRI项目支持获得GC-Vocus-2 R仪器，该仪器将使研究科学家能够获得有关大气中有机化合物组成的重要细节。该文书是下一代工具，将更好地限制排放到大气中的有机碳的命运和影响，并使人们能够更好地了解有机碳与生态系统、生物体和人类活动的相互作用。 该仪器预计将提供必要的灵敏度，时间分辨率，特异性和细节，以探测当前悬而未决的问题，在大气和环境化学跨越interfaces. GC-Vocus-2 R使用质子转移反应质谱法（PTR-MS）测量有机气体，按分子式分类，具有快速的时间响应，可以运输和部署的现场采样。参与者确定了以下专题，以利用新的工具进行重点研究：重点领域1：大气化学的基本过程;重点领域2：生物圈和大气之间的反馈和耦合;重点领域3：有机碳对生态系统和其他环境的影响。该仪器将支持弗吉尼亚理工大学的一个跨学科教师团队，他们正在研究气相有机化合物在大气化学，化学信号，昆虫生态学，淡水生态系统和公共卫生中的作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

This MRI project supports the acquisition of a GC-Vocus-2R instrument that will enable research scientists to obtain significant detail about the composition of organic compounds in the atmosphere. The instrument is a next-generation tool that will better constrain the fate and impacts of organic carbon emitted to the atmosphere and enable a better understanding of the interactions of organic carbon with ecosystems, organisms, and human activities. The instrument is expected to provide the sensitivity, time resolution, specificity, and detail necessary to probe current outstanding questions in atmospheric and environmental chemistry across interfaces.The GC-Vocus-2R uses proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) to measure organic gases, classified by molecular formula, with fast time response and can be transported and deployed for in-situ sampling. The PIs have identified the following topics to focus their research using the new instrument: Focus Area 1: Fundamental processes in atmospheric chemistry; Focus Area 2: Feedbacks and couplings between the biosphere and atmosphere; Focus Area 3: Impact of organic carbon on ecosystems and other environments. This instrument will support an interdisciplinary team of faculty at Virginia Tech who are investigating the role of gas-phase organic compounds in atmospheric chemistry, chemical signaling, insect ecology, freshwater ecosystems, and public health, with projects planned to tackle complex global issues that bridge these disciplines.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.