海角社区

 

The 海角社区 Mass Spectrometry Facility (MSF) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility have long been cornerstones of research support at 海角社区 and beyond. With a mission centered on providing advanced analytical services in mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy, these facilities offer more than just instrumentation; they provide a collaborative environment where researchers across disciplines receive support in experimental design, sample preparation, and data analysis. Now, thanks to a new enhancement grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents, both the MSF and NMR Facility are expanding their capabilities in ways that will significantly streamline workflows and raise the quality of research output.

The recently awarded grant, titled "Enabling new sample preparation techniques in mass spectrometry and variable-temperature capabilities for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy," totals $69,199, with an 海角社区 cost share of $45,287. 鈥淭his grant was designed to help us consolidate sample preparation and analysis into one space,鈥� said Dr. Fabrizio Donnarumma, Director of the MSF. 鈥淯ntil now, users often had to prepare their samples in different buildings or borrow equipment from other labs before bringing them here. With this new benchtop instrumentation, we鈥檒l be able to carry out almost all the necessary steps within the facility itself.鈥�

The grant was awarded through the highly competitive Board of Regents Departmental Enhancement Program and reflects a collaborative effort among Dr. John Pojman, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry; Dr. Fabrizio Donnarumma, Director of the MSF; and Dr. Thomas Weldeghiorghis, Director of the NMR Facility. While each contributed expertise to a distinct portion of the proposal, their shared goal was to elevate 海角社区鈥檚 capacity in analytical chemistry by strategically aligning these two core facilities.

Dr. Weldeghiorghis emphasized the complementary nature of their work. 鈥淢ass spectrometry and NMR provide different but equally critical insights,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ass spectrometry is highly sensitive and often destructive, while NMR is non-destructive but less sensitive. Together, they allow us to see both the forest and the trees. With this grant, we鈥檙e not just enhancing equipment鈥攚e鈥檙e building a more complete picture of chemical systems.鈥� His portion of the grant focused on acquiring cooling units that will enable the NMR facility to perform variable-temperature experiments. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had the probes, but not the cooling units,鈥� he added. 鈥淣ow we鈥檒l be able to conduct experiments at much lower temperatures and observe transient species and reaction intermediates in much greater detail.鈥�

The NMR Facility in 海角社区鈥檚 Department of Chemistry houses six spectrometers with 鹿H resonance frequencies ranging from 400 to 700 MHz. These include a 700 MHz dual solution/solid-state Bruker Avance Neo with a helium-cooled triple-resonance Cryo-probe and MAS probes spinning up to 111 kHz, a 500 MHz system with both Cryo and broadband probes, and four 400 MHz spectrometers for solution-state, solid-state, and diffusion studies. All instruments are connected to Linux workstations for seamless data transfer and offline/remote analysis. The facility supports researchers across 海角社区 as well as external academic and industry partners throughout Louisiana and beyond.

Housed within the Department of Chemistry, the MSF serves as both a core and user facility, supporting a wide range of academic and industrial partners across the state and nation. It currently houses six mass spectrometers with applications spanning organic, inorganic, and biological chemistry. But Donnarumma emphasizes that instrumentation alone doesn鈥檛 define a facility鈥檚 success. 鈥淲e are not just a place that runs samples,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e help users design experiments, we train them, and we troubleshoot problems. A facility without staff support is just a room full of machines. The people are what make it valuable.鈥�

The MSF鈥檚 instrumentation has grown steadily, most notably in 2023 when it received both an NIH S10 grant and an NSF MRI grant. These awards brought in the Waters Synapt XS platform for high-resolution metabolomics and lipidomics and the Bruker rapifleX鈥攖he fastest MALDI-TOF/TOF instrument on the market鈥攆or mass spectrometry imaging. 鈥淭hese two systems alone have radically expanded what we can offer,鈥� said Donnarumma. 鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about molecular-level imaging, post-translational modification mapping, and high-throughput small molecule screening.鈥�

The MSF is also committed to staying at the forefront of emerging analytical techniques. 鈥淲e stay current through two main channels,鈥� Donnarumma explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always applying for new instrumentation grants, but we also stay close to our users, the scientific literature, and specialized journals. If we come across a new method that looks promising, we rigorously test it in-house. Only after it proves its value do we incorporate it into our standard protocols.鈥�

Both facilities extend their influence beyond 海角社区. The MSF frequently partners with other campuses and industries that need advanced analytics or help with experimental troubleshooting. 鈥淪ometimes they just need a second opinion, and we鈥檙e here for that,鈥� said Donnarumma.

Science doesn鈥檛 happen in isolation. It happens when tools, people, and ideas come together. That鈥檚 what this grant supports鈥攁nd that鈥檚 what makes this facility special.

Fabrizio Donnarumma, director of the Mass Spectrometry Facility at 海角社区

The new instruments supported by this grant will also enhance student training鈥攕omething both facilities are deeply invested in. Gabreyela Gonzalez, an undergraduate majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in chemistry, has worked with the MSF team for over a year. She鈥檚 been involved in everything from prostate cancer sample prep to lab inventory and chemical waste compliance. 鈥淭his lab has changed how I see my future,鈥� Gonzalez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 shown me how science works outside the classroom, and it鈥檚 made me consider graduate school, maybe even working for NASA one day.鈥�

Gonzalez said her time at the MSF taught her how mass spectrometry connects to much bigger questions. 鈥淲hether it's forensic analysis, cancer research, or propulsion chemistry, this technology is shaping how we understand and solve problems in the real world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about data. It鈥檚 about using science to serve people.鈥� Another graduate student, Ben Wiser from Dr. Anthony Engler鈥檚 lab in the Department of Chemical Engineering, said, 鈥淰ariable Temperature NMR is extremely advantageous for analyzing in situ polymerizations! I鈥檓 thrilled about this addition and believe it will be instrumental in our ability to understand and design new chemically recyclable plastics鈥攕ome of which may even be useful for state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication.鈥�

For Dr. Donnarumma, that sentiment captures what the MSF stands for. 鈥淪cience doesn鈥檛 happen in isolation,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t happens when tools, people, and ideas come together. That鈥檚 what this grant supports鈥攁nd that鈥檚 what makes this facility special.鈥�