Advanced Instrumentation for the Characterizing Air-Water Interfaces: Field Induced Droplet Ionization and Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry
Abstract
In an effort to enrich DOD-sponsored research surrounding the complex chemistries occurring at gas-liquid interfaces, support is requested to acquire a field-induced droplet ionization (FIDI) source coupled with a linear ion trap mass spectrometer (Thermo Scientific LTQ Velos Pro). Because this instrumental configuration is capable of directly assessing molecular transformations occurring at the surface of a single droplet, it enables the speed, selectivity, and sensitivity of mass spectrometry to be applied for both practical and fundamental investigations of interfacial chemistry. Developed by Grimm and Beauchamp at the California Institute for Technology in the early 2000s, FIDI is an elegant and impactful ionization source that leverages extremely high electric fields to directly extract molecules existing at the gas-liquid interface. The gas-liquid interface represents a critical and dynamic portion of the natural environment that that remains largely unexplored compared to the depth of knowledge surround the reactions in bulk solution. The partitioning and orientation of chemical species at gas-liquid interfaces have profound effects on range of domains of interest to the DOD including biology, synthetic chemistry, fuel combustion, cloud formation, and the fate and transport of both natural and anthropogenic species in the environment. The acquisition and operation of the FIDI-MS system will enable a suite of experiments aimed at characterizing the range of chemical reactions that occur at the gas-liquid interface and provide opportunities to train students using state-of-the-art methodologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810314
Entities
People
- Brian H Clowers
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- Washington State University