MRI: Acquisition of a Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer for Measuring Organic Compounds at the Interfaces of Earth’s Systems

This MRI project supports the acquisition of a GC-Vocus-2R instrument that will enable research scientists to obtain significant detail about the composition of organic compounds in the atmosphere. The instrument is a next-generation tool that will better constrain the fate and impacts of organic carbon emitted to the atmosphere and enable a better understanding of the interactions of organic carbon with ecosystems, organisms, and human activities.

The instrument is expected to provide the sensitivity, time resolution, specificity, and detail necessary to probe current outstanding questions in atmospheric and environmental chemistry across interfaces.

The GC-Vocus-2R uses proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) to measure organic gases, classified by molecular formula, with fast time response and can be transported and deployed for in-situ sampling. The PIs have identified the following topics to focus their research using the new instrument: Focus Area 1: Fundamental processes in atmospheric chemistry; Focus Area 2: Feedbacks and couplings between the biosphere and atmosphere; Focus Area 3: Impact of organic carbon on ecosystems and other environments.

This instrument will support an interdisciplinary team of faculty at Virginia Tech who are investigating the role of gas-phase organic compounds in atmospheric chemistry, chemical signaling, insect ecology, freshwater ecosystems, and public health, with projects planned to tackle complex global issues that bridge these disciplines.

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.