Project Summary (2001-2006)

The Analytical Core (AC) Project provides analytical methods development, sample service, and student training on the analytical instrumentation as the research programs develop. The specific projects require metal determinations, sometimes as low as sub-ppb levels. They also require sample services for polyaromatic hydrocarbons and similar substances, generally by mass spectrometry. The AC serves these needs and provides training and methods development. Personnel are available through the core budget and depending on how each PI wishes to proceed, samples will be run at modest costs or at no additional cost to that project except for supplies. Many of the projects require methods development directed at elemental species, primarily As and Cr. It will be significant to know the particular metal species at various experimental points; e.g. experimental samplings from cell inoculation to cell mutagenesis or death. Likewise, it will be very useful to be able to determine the appearance or disappearance of the different metal species at various points in degradation process, including bacterial degradation. This knowledge will enhance the ability to better assign the molecular roles that heavy metal species play in mutagenesis or cell degradation. Further, several of the projects will be enhanced as the AC provides student training, particularly on major instrumentation. Such training will further enable these research groups to more seamlessly meet their program objectives, and provide critically important learning experiences on modern complex analytical instrumentation: a compliment to the Training Core.