Facilities and Labs

Analytical Chemistry Services

Analytical Chemistry Services

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Analytical Chemistry Services at The Hamner provides instrumentation and technical support for Hamner scientists and their external collaborators. Services include the analysis of tissues and compounds, development of chemical analysis methodology, collaboration in study designs requiring the use of analytical chemistry, and maintenance of instrumentation. Dr. Mark Sochaski is Manager of Analytical Chemistry Services.

Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

With atomic absorption spectrophotometry, Analytical Chemistry Services has the capability of analyzing trace metals in biological materials down to the subnanogram range. The Hamner's PerkinElmer® AAnalystT 800 atomic absorption spectrometer and associated software features an automated, motorized atomizer exchange that allows switching between flame and graphite-furnace atomic absorption with a simple software command. A built-in, high-capacity autosampler allows exceptional productivity and flexibility.

Chromatography

Chromatography is key to the identification and quantitation of analytes as well as metabolites that form in vivo. Analytical Chemistry Services uses a number of chromatographic techniques to separate mixtures into their component parts for analytical purposes and is fully equipped to perform sample work-ups on a high-throughput scale. The Hamner has a number of gas chromatography systems coupled to various detectors as well as three Agilent 1100 high-performance liquid chromatographs capable of performing most assays under either normal or reverse-phase conditions.

Mass Spectrometry

The Mass Spectrometry Facility at the Hamner is equipped with three state-of-the-art mass spectrometers capable of analyzing substances in both the gas and liquid phases. These instruments provide Hamner researchers with the ability to perform qualitative and quantitative mass spectral analysis on everything from low-molecular-weight compounds to large proteins.

The Applied Biosystems API 3000T triple quadrupole mass spectrometer is used for the analysis of small molecules and their metabolites in biological matrices and can also be used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteins. The Thermo LCQ DECA XP ion-trap mass spectrometer allows Hamner scientists to identify proteins that are differentially expressed in an organism as the result of exposure to a chemical stress. The Agilent 5973 Inert MSD quadrupole mass spectrometer, which is coupled to a gas chromatography system, is primarily used to analyze volatile compounds but can be used for the analysis of derivatized, nonvolatile organic compounds as well.