GC/MS upgrade and microbalance for molecular-level organic matter analysis

环境中每天都有新的化合物出现。此外，科学家们还没有确定存在于陆地和水生环境中的许多天然化合物。因此，我们对环境中分子动力学的理解是有限的。这部分是由于缺乏可用的分析方法。然而，现有的现代技术将能够收集和分离这些不明化合物，并可用于研究土壤中的分子水平过程。该设备将允许多伦多大学的研究人员使用分子方法来研究：全球变暖导致的土壤有机质分子变化、污染物在土壤中的相互作用和转化，以及受污染土壤中蚯蚓的体外毒性。所要求的设备将用于购买现有气相色谱仪系统的升级版，以便能够更有效地进行环境化合物的分离、鉴定和定量。一旦这些化合物被分离出来，它们将使用现有的技术（核磁共振和质谱）进行鉴定。还需要微天平，以便对分离化合物进行精确测量，用于定量和相关分析（如放射性碳分析）。因此，所要求的设备将有助于从复杂混合物中分离、鉴定和定量新化合物，将有助于在土壤和沉积物中发现新化合物。除非研究人员能够确定这些“未知”，否则我们对环境过程的基本理解将是有限的。因此，该设备将使多伦多大学的研究人员能够在分子环境科学研究方面取得及时进展，并突破我们目前对污染物和生物地球化学过程的理解。

New compounds are emerging in the environment daily. As well, scientists have not yet identified many of the natural compounds that exist in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Therefore, our understanding of the dynamics of molecules in the environment is limited. This is partially due to the lack of available analytical approaches. However, modern technology exists that will enable the collection and isolation of these unidentified compounds and can be used to study molecular-level processes in soil. The proposed equipment will allow researchers at the University of Toronto to use molecular approaches to study: molecular changes in soil organic matter with global warming, contaminant interactions and transformation in soil, and the excotoxicity of earthworms in contaminated soils. The requested equipment will be used to purchase an upgrade to an existing gas chromatograph system so that the isolation, identification and quantification of environmental compounds can be performed more efficiently. Once these compounds are isolated, they will be identified using existing technology (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry). A microbalance is also requested to enable the accurate measurement of isolated compounds for quantification and related analyses (such as radiocarbon analysis). Thus, the requested equipment which will aid in the isolation, identification and quantification of new compounds from complex mixtures, will facilitate the discovery of new compounds in soils and sediments. Unless researchers can identify these "unknowns", our fundamental understanding of environmental processes will be limited. Therefore, this equipment will allow researchers at the University of Toronto to make timely progress in molecular environmental science research and push the boundaries of our current understanding of contaminants and biogeochemical processes.