MRI: Acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer for Quantitative Elemental Analysis of Natural and Engineered Materials

This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. The University of Oregon at Eugene is acquiring an ion chromatograph, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (IC-ICP-MS) to support Professor Shannon Boettcher and colleagues Krista McGuire and Matthew Polizzotto. In general, mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical methods used to identify and characterize small quantities of chemical species in complex matrices.

In a typical experiment, the components flow into a mass spectrometer where they are ionized, and the ion masses are measured. This highly sensitive technique allows detection and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. The ionization using the inductively coupled plasma allows detection of metal ions and several non-metals present in very small concentrations.

The ion chromatograph component allows separation of metal ions from mixtures, thus improving the characterization of the various components. The acquisition strengthens the research infrastructure at the university and regional area since this technology is accessible to students, faculty and researchers throughout several departments such as Chemistry, Biochemistry, Materials Science Institute, Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences and Anthropological Sciences.

The team is designing a research program to train new PhD students to be mentors to K-12 students, by showing them how to quantify metal ion content in soil and water sources and a plan to support academic and industrial partnerships through the facility denominated Center for Advanced Material Characterization at Oregon (CAMCOR) where the instrument is located.

The award of the IC-ICP-mass spectrometer is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It is especially useful to determine species that function as electrocatalysts and for the study of aquifer mineral complexity and redox reactivity. The instrumentation is also used to investigate processes underlying biotransformation of arsenic and other contaminants in aquifers as well as plant-soil-microbial associations contributing to maintenance of tree diversity and nutrient cycling in tropical forests.

The instrument also serves researchers assessing interactions of metal ions with nucleic-acid biomolecules and the preparation of precision-engineered nanoparticles. The mass spectrometer aids characterization of trace elements in volcanic and hydrothermal minerals.

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.