2024-0669160 - Purchase of an ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS/MS) (Thermo Electron A/S)

The Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University and head of the research group “Analytical Chemistry of the Environment (ACE)” need a new system for ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for several planned research projects. These include analysis of • Root exudate samples from laboratory experiments to study plant-microbe interactions • Dissolved organic compounds in marine water samples from the Arctic • Atmospheric aerosol samples from laboratory studies and field campaigns in the Arctic to study trace level organic composition. Previous studies have found hundreds to thousands of organic compounds in these types of environmental samples, many of them at very low concentrations. Future projects may also include analysis of ice core material where low levels and complexity of organic compounds are expected to be even more challenging. Furthermore, it is important to be able to differentiate between closely related structural isomers, which requires a mass spectrometer with very high mass resolution and sensitivity also at high acquisition rates.