ABSTRACT Proposal: 9512155 PI: Cole, R. Institution: University of New Orleans This award from the Academic Research Infrastructure Program will help the Department of Chemistry at the University of New Orleans acquire triple quadrapole Mass Spectrometer which will be used in research. The research activity to be supported includes: 1. direct mixture analysis of bacterial toxins, and lipid portions 2. structural analysis problems involving novel glycosphingolipids 3. energy-resolved tandem mass spectrometry experiments 4. thermodynamic properties of organometallic compounds 5. amino acid sequence of light harvesting proteins 6. collisionally-activated reactions 7. reactivity of Zintl phase materials 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 is 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.
