This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Program will aid in the purchase of mass spectrometry data systems in the Chemistry Department at Montana State University. The research to be performed with this instrumentation include the following: Studies of various high pressure gas phase ionic processes; the identification of the neutral products formed in gas phase ionic processes; fundamental studies of desorption ionization processes associated with FAB and Electrospray mass spectrometry; the detection of environmentally interesting atmospheric components at the low- and sub- parts per trillion level; organic transformations facilitated by platinum(II) and other transition metals; biological control and signalling mechanisms involving macromolecular receptors in visual and neutrophil systems; the production of Taxol and Taxanes from microbiological sources; and the identification of lipid peroxidation products generated by environmental toxins. 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 computer data systems allow state-of-the-art control of research grade mass spectrometers which gives 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.
