CRIF:MU Acquisition of a Benchtop Electrospray Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer

University Of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities: Departmental Multi-User Instrumentation program (CRIF:MU), Professor V. Ramamurthy and colleagues Burjor Captain, Angel E. Kaifer, Francisco M. Raymo and Norito Takenaka of the University of Miami will acquire a liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. Research activities that will be facilitated by the new instrumentation include investigations of supramolecular photochemistry and electrochemistry, studies of molecular self-assembly, elucidation of protein signaling pathways, development of helical chiral asymmetric catalysts, synthesis of hydrogen-storing metal clusters and investigations of luminescent switches for fluorescent spectroscopy. In a liquid chromatograph interfaced mass spectrometer, the chromatograph separates a mixture into its molecular components. These flow into the mass spectrometer where they are ionized by an electrospray technique. The mass spectrometer measures the molecular mass of each component and its fragments. This facilitates determination of the structure of the constituents of the mixture. The electrospray ionization technique allows large nonvolatile molecules such as proteins and supramolecular clusters to be analyzed directly from the liquid phase. This acquisition will benefit undergraduate and graduate students through research programs in the department and will allow the introduction of this modern analytical technique into undergraduate chemistry laboratories.