MRI: Acquisition of a Triple Quadrupole Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer System

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) programs, Duke University will acquire a high performance liquid chromatograph (HP-LC) mass spectrometer (MS) system with tandem analysis capability (triple quadrupole). The system will be used to analyze the composition of substances obtained from various sources including samples obtained from chemical reactions and biological sources. The liquid chromatograph separates a mixture into its individual components. The mass spectrometer then ionizes the components and determines their mass by measuring the mass to charge ratio (m/z) of the ions. This is a widely used powerful analytical tool to determine the composition of a mixture or material. Students will be trained to use this sophisticated modern instrument in their research, preparing them for their later careers. The instrument will be used in research especially in areas such as (a) establishing chemical tools to manipulate metal-catalyzed oxidative stress; (b) developing transition metal-catalyzed procedures for the addition of the H-X bond of C-, N-, and O nucleophiles across C=C bonds (hydrofunctionalization); (c) elucidating the mechanisms of gold(I) pi-activation catalysis; (d) developing cobalt and manganese complexes that incorporate tricoordinate redox-active ligands for use in directed and/or enantioselective electrophilic atom-transfer processes; (e) developing multivalent inhibitors of long noncoding RNA using protein interactions through a fragment-based screening library; (f) designing, synthesizing, and using small molecules as probes of material processes in polymers; (g) using chemical tools to understand the signaling pathways underlying cell and developmental biology.