LCT Mass Spectrometer

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program, the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill will acquire an LC time-of-flight mass spectrometer with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) capabilities. This equipment will enhance research in a number of areas including a) discovery of new enantioselective dipolar cycloadditions from small ring heterocycles; b) combinatorial development of the catalytic asymmetric Aldol-Tischenko reaction; c) studies of pi-pi stacking interactions in small molecules and beta-turn peptides; d) chiral supramolecular assemblies and their applications in enantioselective processes; and e) biologically inspired studies in asymmetric catalysis. 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 results from these studies will have an impact in a number of areas including biochemistry and materials science.