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. When combined with gas chromatography (GC), the resulting GC/MS affords the chemist one of the most powerful tools available for the separation and characterization of compounds. The aquisition of GC/MS is essential for the prosecution of frontier research in many fields of chemistry. The Department of Chemistry at the University of West Virginia will use this award from the Chemical Instrumentation Program to help aquire a GC/MS system. The areas of chemical research that will be enhanced by the aquisition include the following: 1) Multifunctional boranes, silanes and stannanes in organic synthesis 2) Chiral carbanions: Asymmetric synthesis via binaphthyl derived organometallic reagents 3) Materials characterization.
