Critical Replacement of a Low-Resolution Mass Spectrometer

本申请是为购买低分辨率质谱仪而申请的资金。质谱仪是一种重要的研究仪器，用于确定分子的分子量。滑铁卢大学质谱设施（UWMSF）中的一个质谱仪是一种低分辨率仪器，称为Thermo LTQ。它被研究生和博士后研究员用于不需要高分辨率质谱数据时的快速常规测量。HQP还使用它来开发合适的分析条件，然后在该设施更复杂（脆弱和昂贵）的高分辨率质谱仪上获取高分辨率MS数据。这种条件的预先筛选非常重要，因为它增加了更昂贵的高分辨率仪器的寿命并降低了维修和维护成本。Thermo LTQ仪器于2013年从The Princess Margaret Hospital of多伦多获得并使用，已使用16年。它只能在电喷雾电离（ESI）模式下使用，并且不能与液相色谱系统接口，这使得分析化合物混合物非常困难。该仪器在过去两年中出现了一些严重的机械和操作问题，现已不再运作。无法维修该仪器，因为该旧型号在几年前被Thermo视为过时，Thermo不再维修该仪器，并且难以或不可能找到更换部件。校园里没有其他低分辨率质谱仪可用于常规分析。这种仪器的消亡导致申请人和华盛顿大学其他研究人员的研究计划严重延误，他们的研究计划依赖于随时获得低分辨率质谱仪。我们正在申请资金购买一台新的Thermo LTQ-XL质谱仪。除了可靠和可用外，它还可以分析更广泛的化合物，因为它具有ESI和大气压化学电离能力。它还将与液相色谱系统连接，该系统将使化合物的混合物能够被分离和浓缩，因此混合物的每种成分都可以单独分析。所要求的Thermo LTQ-XL仪器是申请人实现其研究目标和目的的重要工具，并在学术界和工业界最重要的分析技术之一方面培训HQP。

This application is for funds to purchase a low-resolution mass spectrometer. A mass spectrometer is an important research instrument that is used to determine the molecular weight of a molecule. One of the mass spectrometers housed in The University of Waterloo Mass Spectrometry Facility (UWMSF) is a low-resolution instrument called a Thermo LTQ. It was used by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows for rapid routine measurements when high-resolution mass spectrometry data is not required. It was also used by HQP for developing suitable analysis conditions before acquiring high-resolution MS data on the facility's more sophisticated (and fragile and expensive) high-resolution mass spectrometers. This pre-screening of conditions is very important as it increases the life span and decreases the repair and maintenance costs of the more expensive, high-resolution instruments. The Thermo LTQ instrument was obtained used from The Princess Margaret Hospital of Toronto in 2013 and is 16 years old. It could only be used in electrospray ionization (ESI) mode and was not interfaced to a liquid chromatography system which made analyzing compound mixtures very difficult. This instrument has experienced a number of serious mechanical and operational issues over the past two years and is no longer functioning. Repairing this instrument is not possible as this old model was deemed obsolete several years ago by Thermo who no longer service the instrument and replacement parts are difficult or impossible to source. There are no other low resolution mass spectrometers on campus that are available for routine analysis. The demise of this instrument is causing significant delays in the research programs of the applicants and other researchers at UW whose research programs depend upon ready access to low-resolution mass spectrometry. We are requesting funds to purchase a new Thermo LTQ-XL mass spectrometer. Besides being reliable and serviceable, it will also allow for a much wider range of compounds to be analyzed as it would have both ESI and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization capabilities. It will also be interfaced with a liquid chromatography system which will enable mixtures of compounds to be separated and concentrated and so each component of the mixture can be individually analyzed. The requested Thermo LTQ-XL instrument is an essential tool for the applicants to realize their research goals and objectives and to train HQP in one of the most important analytical techniques in academia and industry.