This multidisciplinary project, co-supported by the Analtyical and Surface Chemistry Program, the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities, focuses on the further development of the blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD) technique for the study of the energetics and mechanisms of protein and DNA dissociation. Professor Williams and his students at the University of California at Berkeley will implement BIRD experiments on a 7 Tesla FT/ICR instrument which is being acquired through this award. Dissociation of DNA duplexes is projected to provide insights into Watson-Crick base pairing, base stacking, and other electrostatic interactions. Gas-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange reactions will be employed as a diagnostic tool regarding gas phase ion conformation of biomolecules. The ability to draw conclusions pertaining to the conformation of biological molecules in situ based on gas-phase ion chemistry is an area of intense interest in the chemical and biological communities. Professor Williams and his students at the Unversity of California at Berkeley will use a multidisciplinary approach of theory and experimentation to study the gas-phase ion chemistry of proteins and DNA. Dissociation mechanisms and energetics, along with hydrogen/deuterium exchange reactions, will provide important information toward the understanding of the biological molecules and their structures
