An Open Access Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer for Sample Characterization

摘要 我代表几位同事，甚至整个UBC化学系，带头申请资金，为UBC化学质谱设施购买一台开放式液相色谱质谱仪（OA-LCMS），以取代现在17岁的摇摇欲坠的仪器。 质谱法（MS）是鉴定未知化合物和定量已知化合物的基本分析技术，因此对我们的训练使命至关重要。液相色谱-质谱联用技术（LCMS）已在化学合成和药物发现等领域中被确立为化合物鉴定和纯度分析的强有力的分析技术。现代LCMS仪器，沿着walk-up软件，可实现开放式质谱（OAMS）。OAMS是指研究者可全天候使用的MS，无需MS机构人员干预。它易于使用，化学家可以立即进行反应监测，并使学员能够随意工作，实时分析他们的样品。随叫随到的服务还能让学员亲身体验最先进的分析机器，并更好地了解产品特性。 更重要的是，设备的自助服务性质对于我们的学员了解如何将合成和/或未知化合物的色谱馏分与MS分析相关联至关重要。在培训学生表征复杂的合成产品，我们部门的学员正在推动天然产物合成，方法学开发，精细化学品/高级中间体的催化方面的创新，以及包括多糖和糖肽在内的新生物实体的表征。此应用程序支持为整个UBC化学系服务的机器。我们培训了100多名化学家，从事有机，有机金属，无机和材料化学。这些受训人员在工业和教学中找到工作，一些私人投资者从工业界获得了大量资金，而其他人则参与创建公司。 该仪器将由化学系的实物捐助提供支持，对我们的培训使命至关重要，因为它支持急需的基础设施，以表征研究企业各级的化合物。

Summary. On behalf of several colleagues and indeed the entire UBC Chemistry Department, I am spearheading a request for funds to purchase an open access liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (OA-LCMS) for the UBC Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility to replace a faltering instrument that is now 17 years old. Mass spectrometry (MS) is an essential analytical technique to identify unknown compounds and to quantify known compounds and thus is critical to our training mission. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (LCMS) has been established as a powerful analytical technique in compound identification and purity analysis in many fields including chemical synthesis and drug discovery. Modern LCMS instrumentation, along with walk-up software enables open access mass spectrometry (OAMS). OAMS refers to a MS that is available for use by investigators 24/7 without the intervention of MS facility personnel. It is easy-to-use and immediate accessible to chemists for reaction monitoring and it enables trainees to work at-will to analyze their samples in real-time. Walk-up service also gives trainees hand-on experience with state-of-the-art analytic machines and a greater appreciation for product characterization. More importantly, the self-service nature of the equipment is essential for our trainees to appreciate first-hand how to correlate chromatography fractions of synthetic and/or unknown compounds with MS analysis. In training students to characterize complex synthetic products, trainees in our department are driving innovation in terms of natural product synthesis, methodology development, catalysis of fine chemicals/advanced intermediates, and the characterization of new biological entities including polysaccharides and glycopeptides to name a few. This application supports a machine that serves the entire Chemistry Department of UBC. We train over 100 chemists working on organic, organometallic, inorganic, and materials chemistry. These trainees find jobs in industry and teaching and several PIs have received significant funding from industry while others are involved in company creation. This instrument, which will be supported by an in-kind contribution from the Chemistry department is critical to our training mission as it supports critically needed infrastructure to characterize compounds at all levels of the research enterprise.