This award from the Academic Research Infrastructure Program will help the Department of Chemistry at the University of Delaware acquire a FT-Mass spectrometer and a high-powered laser system which will be used in research. The research activity to be supported includes (1) studies of gas phase metalloporphyrin chemistry, (2) laser desorption/ionization and molecular beam studies of polypeptides, (3) method development for analyzing high molecular weight material, particularly biological molecules, and (4) studies of photo- processes involving high molecular weight, polyfunctional or otherwise complex material. Mass Spectrometry (MS) is a technique used to probe intimate structural details and to obtain the molecular compositions of a vast array of organic, bioorganic and organometallic molecules. The addition of the technique of electrospray extends the range of MS to protein and nucleic acid molecular weights far beyond any other technique. The use of electrospray ionization in combination with high resolution provides the latest techniques available in mass spectrometry. It affords the chemist one of the most powerful tools available for the characterization of compounds. The acquisition of this capability in mass spectrometry is essential for the prosecution of frontier research in many fields of chemistry. A tunable laser can provide important information about chemical reactivity. Its use may enable breakthroughs in our understanding of the properties of reactive and nonreactive of molecules.
