Unique capability enables researchers to identify molecules involved in processes related to biology, environment and energy
April 13, 2016 
RICHLAND, Wash. - Scientists worldwide now have access to a powerful new resource at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a D.O.E. Office of Science user facility at the Pacific Northwest National Lab, to help them address pressing science challenges related to the environment, biology and energy.
The new 21 Tesla Ultra-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer, or the 21T for short, allows scientists to analyze and separate atoms and molecules according to their size and molecular structure with a clarity and precision well beyond conventional mass spectrometers.
Officials from EMSL, PNNL, DOE's Office of Science, DOE's Pacific Northwest Location Office, elected officials and scientists are gathering this week to celebrate the science that will be made possible by the 21T, which is accessible for use by scientists around the world. The topics scientists are already exploring with the instrument include:
- Understanding how fungi break down rugged plant materials more effectively than nearly anything humans can produce economically. The question is at the heart of efforts to create new fuels and products from biological materials that contain a tough natural material known as lignocellulose.
- How climate change affects carbon in soil and vice versa. The fate of the carbon beneath our feet - a huge reservoir of potential greenhouse gases - is intertwined with the future of our planet's climate.
- How particles of pollution interact with naturally occurring particles in our atmosphere, affecting how sunlight is deflected from Earth or absorbed by the atmosphere.
A mass spectrometer with the power of the 21T gives scientists the ability to see very specific products of molecular reactions at the finest scale possible. With the 21T, researchers can distinguish molecular compounds that differ by almost unimaginably small nuances and precisely identify the molecules involved in very complex reactions. The instrument also allows scientists to study big intact proteins while preserving their biological function, and to study the interactions among proteins more readily.
With current projects, for example, scientists are able to analyze the activities of many microbes in the soil simultaneously and study a complex mix of substances under conditions closer to actual atmospheric conditions.
"The 21T allows scientists to nail the identity of a particular molecule more precisely than other technologies," said David Koppenaal, chief technology officer for EMSL and one of the scientists who 1st conceived of the 21T to study molecular processes about a decade ago.
"For instance, we've seen examples where a conventional mass spectrometer indicates that there is one compound of interest in a chemical reaction, but the 21T showed that there are actually 4 or 5 molecules involved. This is crucial information."
The instrument's formal name is the 21 Tesla Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer, also known as an ultra-high-resolution Mississippi system. At the heart of the 25-ton instrument sits one of the world's biggest magnets, a 21 Tesla magnet made by Agilent Technologies.
The PNNL community is invited to the event Thursday, April 14, 2016, to celebrate the 21T. A scientific symposium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in EMSL auditorium. The formal plan beginning at 2:30 p.m. will include remarks from several visiting officials and PNNL scientists, introduction of the 21T team, and a Lab tour and demonstration of the instrument.
Creation of the 21T and development of the scientific expertise to allow researchers to use it to maximum effect has been funded by the D.O.E. Office of Science. A similar instrument, funded by the National Science Foundation, is accessible to scientists at the National High Magnetic Field Lab in Tallahassee, Fla.
Tags: Fundamental Science, EMSL, Mass Spectrometry and Separations
EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab, is a national scientific user facility sponsored by the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. Located at Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash., EMSL offers an open, collaborative environment for scientific discovery to researchers around the world. Its integrated computational and experimental resources enable researchers to realize important scientific insights and create new technologies. Follow EMSL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.
