GOALI: Coupling Reaction Chemistry with Instrumentation

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Professor Julian Tyson of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Dr. Gerhard Schlemmer of Perkin-Elmer Corporation are funded by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities for collaborative research on trace analysis involving instrumentation. This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) grant addresses trace element uptake by marine plankton, the fate of arsenic in soils, the anti-cancer properties of selenium-enriched yeast, the uptake of trace elements by marine organisms, the fingerprinting of lead, copper, and gold, and the human metabolism of arsenic, selenium, and mercury. Efforts in the area of sample pre-treatment include microwave and ultrasound-assisted extractions, supercritical extraction, solid phase extraction and liquid/liquid extraction. Specific investigations of flow injection (an area of expertise in the Tyson laboratory) include the evaluation of cationic surfactants on hydride generation and reaction with arsenic and selenite, and development of manifolds for synthesizing volatile organometallic compounds. The PIs propose to develop an interface for HPLC-ICP-MS and liquid-liquid extraction pretreatment. The collaboration will provide industrial experience for students who will spend at least one summer each at Perkin-Elmer in Norwalk, Connecticut or Uberlingen, Germany. Trace element detection is enormously important in the biological, medical and environmental sciences. The difficulty of detecting small amounts of key metals in matrices such as biological fluids and soil still limits our ability to understand transport and function in these media.