Structure determination of (bio)organic, organometallic and supramolecular compounds by mass spectrometry

The proposal concerns mass spectrometric instrumentation for the determination of the elemental composition and structure of chemical compounds obtained during research in synthesis and catalysis. The activities in synthetic chemistry and catalysis at the University of Amsterdam constitute a broad spectrum of topics, including the development of synthetic methodology, natural product synthesis, organocatalysis, biocatalysis, homogeneous and hetereogeneous catalysis, supramolecular catalysis and organometallic chemistry. Direct access to mass spectrometric equipment is essential for the analysis of the large variety of compounds obtained during the synthesis of target compounds or as the result of new catalytic processes. At present, the high resolution mass spectrometric data mandatory for publication in respectable journals are obtained with an inadequate and outdated instrument that will be dismantled in the near future. In order to ascertain continuous access to mass spectrometric analysis of compounds obtained during the research in synthesis and catalysis, we request funding for a new instrument. The selected instrument is equipped with a number of ionisation methods (Electron Ionisation, Chemical Ionisation, Field Ionization and Field Desorption) in order facilitate the analysis of a wide variety of chemical species. The resolution and accuracy of the instrument renders it well suited for routine measurements of the accurate mass of various compounds and thus the elemental composition of new chemical species. The instrument is easy to use and will be operated by the PhD students, post-docs and laboratory technicians of the research groups in synthesis and catalysis.