New Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Fluorescence facilities for the UEA Schools of Chemistry and Pharmacy

为了有效，化学科学研究需要获得非常广泛的分析技术。有些用来确定分子结构，有些用来确定其性质(例如光吸收或发射、磁性、生物活性)，有些用来检测和量化环境、生物体或反应系统中的已知分子，有些则有助于这三方面的研究。除了它们的应用和力量不同，这些技术在它们的速度和易用性上也不同：最强大的结构确定技术通常不是最适合监测快速反应的技术。在这个建议中，我们将通过填补我们分析技术范围中的两个空白来扩大UEA可行的化学科学的范围。一种是GC-MS，它将使我们能够在反应发生时更好地监控它们，告诉我们它们的产物、副产物和机理。我们目前的方法，核磁共振，功能强大，但速度慢，不方便，更难解释-所需的样品准备可能会影响结果。GC-MS提供的结果将提供给新的、更好的催化剂和有用分子的合成程序：例如，从二氧化碳等废物中生产化学原料，或者发现有潜力用作药物或新材料成分的新分子。另一种是荧光/磷光光谱，它是许多物理科学/生物科学接口项目的核心。当荧光团和荧光粉遇到其他分子时，它们的发光往往会改变--发光可能会增强，可能会关闭，其波长或持续时间可能会改变。由于这些变化往往是非常具体的，监测排放提供了一种很好的手段来检测环境、细胞或生物体中的生物标志物和其他分子-这可以有助于我们对生物学和生物化学的理解，并作为成像和其他诊断技术的基础。新仪器将通过实现长波长激发(对组织渗透有用)和改进的时间分辨率来增强我们的能力，这些可用于研究支撑这些应用的基本物理过程(能量和电子转移)。它还将有助于研究我们为应用于显示器或光学电信等设备而制造的新材料的发光特性。

To be effective, research in chemical sciences requires access to a very wide range of analytical techniques. Some are used to determine the structure of a molecule, some to determine its properties (for example light absorption or emission, magnetism, biological activity), others enable detection and quantification of known molecules in the environment, in organisms, or in reaction systems, and some can help with all three. As well as varying in their applications and power, these techniques also vary in their speed and ease of use: the most powerful techniques for structural determination are not usually the most appropriate for monitoring a fast reaction.In this proposal, we will increase the range of chemical science feasible at UEA by filling two gaps in our range of analytical techniques. One, GC-MS, will enable us to better monitor reactions as they happen, informing us about their products, by products and mechanisms. Our current method for doing this, NMR, is powerful, but slower, inconvenient, harder to interpret - and the sample preparation required can affect the results. Results provided by the GC-MS will feed through into new and better catalysts and synthetic procedures for useful molecules: for example producing chemical feedstocks from waste products like CO2, or discovering new molecules with potential to act as drugs or as components in new materials.The other, fluorescence/phosphorescence spectroscopy, is at the heart of many projects at the physical science/bioscience interface. Fluorophores and phosphors often change their light emission when they encounter other molecules - emission may be enhanced, switched off, its wavelength or time duration may change. As these changes are often very specific, monitoring emission provides an excellent means to detect biomarkers and other molecules in the environment, cells or organisms - this can contribute to our understanding of biology and biological chemistry and act as a basis for imaging and other diagnostic techniques. The new instrument will add to our capabilities by enabling long-wavelength excitation (useful for tissue penetration) and improved time resolution that can be used to study the fundamental physical processes (energy and electron transfer) underpinning these applications. It will also be useful for investigating the light emission properties of new materials we make for application in devices - such as displays, or optical telecommunications.