MRI: Acquisition of a High Resolution Mass Spectrometer for Education and Research

This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. The University of Tampa is acquiring a high resolution mass spectrometer equipped with an orbitrap analyzer, a direct analysis in real time (DART) interface and an ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UPLC) unit to support Kenyon Evans-Nguyen and colleagues Kelly Deister, Michelle Crosby and Christine Theodore.

In general, mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical methods used to identify and characterize small quantities of chemical species in complex samples. An instrument with a high resolution liquid chromatography sector provides additional structural identification power by separating mixtures of compounds before they reach the mass spectrometer.

The direct analysis in real time is an ion source that produces electronically or vibronically excited-state species such as helium, argon or nitrogen that ionize atmospheric molecules which then undergo ion-molecule reactions with the sample molecules to be analyzed. The instrument broadens participation by involving diverse students with this modern analytical technique.

It is extensively used to train undergraduate and high school students and by collaborators at neighboring institutions.

The award of the UPLC-MS/MS system is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It is especially useful for quantifying, characterizing compounds to develop advanced data sets to aid natural products research. The instrumentation is also used for characterizing the spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants in Tampa Bay.

The instrument also serves researchers characterizing and analyzing new psychoactive substances (NPS), also known as substances of abuse, in biological specimens. An important use is for the development and construction of ambient ionization sources capable of combined molecular, organic, and elemental analysis for applications in forensic science.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.