Mass spectral techniques such as Electron Impact (EI), Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) and Field Desorption (FD) are used to probe intimate structural details and to obtain the molecular compositions of a vast array of organic, bioorganic, and organometallic molecules. The acquisition of instrumentation capable of carrying out these state-of-the-art techniques is essential for the prosecution of frontier research in several fields of chemistry. The purchase of a high mass high resolution mass spectrometer will be facilitated by support from the Chemistry Shared Instrumentation Program and the Biological Instrumentation Program of NSF and by an award from NIH. The areas of chemistry that will be enhanced include: 1) Stereoselective Synthesis of Transition Metal Enolates and Related Organometallic Compounds 2) Structural Analysis of Phycobiliproteins 3) Structure and Function of Oligonucleotides 4) Structural Determination and Studies of Protein-Bound Pigments 5) Oligonucleotide Directed Mutagenisis 6) Transition Metal and Heat-Mediated Organic Transformations 7) Characterization of Siderophore Complexes 8) Metallacaixarenes in Organic and Organometallic Synthesis 9) Synthesis and Characterization of Model Compounds as Zeolite and Polyphosphate Materials
