This award supports the acquisition of a Liquid Chromatography (LC) system with tandem Mass Spectrometer detection (herein referred to as LC-MS-MS). This improved LC system has columns packed with porous particles of high mechanical strength that are smaller than 2 microns. These columns have higher flow rates and increased peak capacity compared to larger particle packings, resulting in improvements in analyte resolution and sensitivity, and decreases in analysis time and solvent use. This LC/MS/MS will be used for detection and separation of non-volatile compounds including molecular polyhedra, neurotransmitters, and proteins at ultra-low concentrations (ng/L).
Many faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students from two departments will utilize this instrument for research and research training. These faculty and students represent Chemistry, Genetics, Biology, Physiology, Toxicology, and Environmental Science. In addition, at least 6 graduate students and 70 undergraduate students will use the instrument annually as part of their research and education. Students in the following three lab courses will have hands-on experience through research-oriented laboratory exercises: Instrumental Analysis, Toxicology, and Physiology. This will be the only LC/MS within a 100 mile radius of the university.
