With support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities - Multiuser Instrumentation (CRIF-MU) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Gonzaga University will purchase a liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Examples of undergraduate research projects that will be performed which utilize LC-TOFMS include: 1) Characterization of synthetic substrates and natural products used in quinine biosynthesis; 2) Analysis of metabolites in lipid extracts from anaerobic respiration; 3) Structure-function studies of enzymes that involve determination of protein mass and quantification of known proteins; 4) Synthetic design and characterization of a positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostic agent; 5) Development of wound care dressings for chronic wounds; and 6) Mechanism and conformational dynamics of enzymes by hydrogen-deuterium exchange measurements.
Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (LC/MS) is an extremely powerful technique used for the separation and analysis of complex mixtures. This instrument will substantially strengthen scientific research at this primarily undergraduate institution, and these studies will have a solid impact in the areas of medicinal chemistry and biochemistry.
