NSF Award
1338088
1338088<br/>Chen<br/><br/>Liquid Chromatography (LC) is widely used in analytical and bioanalytical areas as a routine technique to identify, quantify, and purify components present in a mixture. The conventional procedure for these imposes ambiguity on the results. Inclusion of Mass Spectroscopy to LC will help to minimize this uncertainty. LC/MS/MS is a powerful technique with very high sensitivity and selectivity. Generally its application is oriented towards the specific detection and potential identification of chemicals in the presence of other chemicals in a complex mixture to cover wide applications ranging from accurate mass measurement and structural characterization of unknowns to trace-level quantitative analysis. Lamar University (LU) is pursuing enhancement of their analytical capabilities for the environmental and biochemical research in both college of engineering and college of Arts & Science. The team is requesting funds for acquisition of a LC/MS/MS for faculty and student research projects and inter-university collaborative projects. Currently, there are no LC/MS or LC/MS/MS instruments on the LU campus. Researchers must get such analyses at commercial facilities where the costs and lead time are extremely high. If the LC/MS/MS can be acquired, the team plans to achieve the following two objectives: (i) basic research and development of new analysis methods in Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Biology, and (ii) application of the latest technology and pedagogical practices to educate students in these areas.
