Technology Access Fees Database

Gale J. Clark

gclark@mtsu.edu

Earl F. Pearson

Chemistry

N/A

Davis Science Building Room 207

Replacement of Existing Technology

The existing instrument is not supported any longer by the manufacturer and parts are supplied on an "as available" basis. The instrument is becoming increasingly less reliable due to age and significantly increasing use by several different groups. Also a new instrument will have substantially improved sensitivity and alternate modes of ionization. Enhanced capability will permit research here to be on par with what is now considered standard in the discipline. Clearly this vital instrument needs to be replaced before a catastrophic failure seriously disrupts the programs of the department.

The purpose of the proposal is to replace a 16 year old gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The technique is extremely important as a means to help confirm the structure of newly prepared compounds for chemists performing synthesis and to analytical, environmental, and forensic chemists in determining the identities and amounts of compounds in a wide variety of materials frequently containing over 100 different compounds. Often there are no other methods which can provide this information effectively. All chemists need to learn this technique as part of their undergraduate and graduate training. The American Chemical Society includes this instrument among those expected for an accredited undergraduate program. Students gain "hands on" experience in Chemistry 423/523, 471/571, 454, 623, 713, and 714. An average of up to 40 students per year use the instrument in course work based on recent course enrollments. The instrument is used for research by many students who take research courses. There is an average of 25 students per year enrolled in these courses. A majority of M.S. and D.A. research projects in the department utilize data from this instrument and some of those depend almost exclusively on this instrument. The Dean's office lists over 600 majors in the department so enrollment in upper division courses is projected to increase rapidly.