Acquisition of an Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program, the Department of Chemistry at New York University will purchase a Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas including 1) structure-based design of RNA binding ligands and the fundamental rules governing RNA-proteomimetic recognition; 2) synthesis of protein mimetics with novel properties; 3) construction of carbohydrate oligomer mimetic libraries to discover artificial ligands for binding to proteins and cell surfaces; 4) synthesis of chiro-optic switches; 5) development and identification of novel, site-specific DNA base lesions; and 6) synthesis of photoactive fullerene derivatives. The instrumentation will also be available to researchers in the Faculty Resource Network (FRN), a consortium of 13 historically black colleges and universities in the South and 15 regional liberal arts colleges. 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. It is one of the fastest growing and most widely used analytical instrumentation techniques. These studies will have a strong impact in many fields, including biochemistry and materials science.