Mass Spectrometry
The facility is located in Room 11, in the basement of the Biochemistry Building. Since it was founded in 1968 by Professor Charles Sweeley, it has served scientists on campus, in the state, nationally and internationally.
The facility is equipped to provide structural information on solid, liquid and gas samples. Chromatographic methods coupled to mass spectrometric methods, GC-MS and LC-MS, are available as well.
Submission
The facility is, if time allows, accessible to academic investigators from any institution. Samples will be accepted provided they are appropriate for current facility capabilities. Access is also granted to occasional industrial clients on a time-available basis. Prior to sending samples, investigators are recommended to contact the facility to discuss the required analysis. This is necessary to insure that the most efficient and cost-effective analytical methods are employed. Samples are normally analyzed in the order of their receipt, but special arrangements can be made for unstable samples. A sample submission form should accompany each set of samples. The information requested on this form should be filled out completely to assure that the analyses can be carried out properly. Missing information from the form (e.g., sample solubility, stability, molecular formula, if known) will result in delays in the requested analyses. Also, please see Special instructions regarding radioactive samples.
Equipment
- QTOF
- QTRAP
- GCT premier
- Quattro premier
- Quattro micro
- DSQ
- 3 Agilent MSD benchtop quadrapole mass spectrometers
Mass Spectrometry Facility
The MSF continues to provide a variety of MS services for diverse applications. The facility operates as a service facility, but there is a significant component of collaborative research, as well as training for MSU faculty, postdocs and graduate students. Analytical services include structure determinations of small molecules (volatile compounds to complex mixture in biological samples), nonvolatile lipids, carbohydrates and organometallics, synthetic polymers, peptides, proteins and oligonucleotides. A broad user community of over sixty labs in twenty departments have used the facility in the past twelve months on a fee-for-service basis. Projects range from simple sample analyses without need for further assistance to long term collaborations involving significant consultation, sample preparation and data analysis. We also provide assistance with preparation of grant proposals, including letters of support. These letters provide assurance to the study sections that expertise in mass spectrometry is available for the project, and in the past funding success rates have been high. Training for faculty, postdocs and grad students is a major activity of the MSF, both to assist users with the design and completion of projects and to allow direct user access to instrumentation. The MSF also participates in recruiting efforts for new faculty and graduate students for a variety of departments and programs.