CAREER: Leveraging flow modulation to transform volatile organic compound measurement

This project is jointly funded by the Division of Chemistry in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The principal investigator is Katelynn Perrault of Chaminade University of Honolulu. She is developing analytical approaches for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a class of chemicals most commonly associated with odor analysis. A comprehensive technique that permits two independent methods of separation is used to analyze mixtures of volatiles. In addition, statistical procedures are defined to verify the accurate selection of marker compounds given various levels of sample complexity. These approaches may improve future studies on VOCs in forensic science, defense, and other natural science applications. Through the integration of this research with teaching practices and community outreach, Dr. Perrault contributes to the redressing of educational and career access disparities for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) and other underserved minorities. The project focuses on leveraging a reverse fill/flush (RFF) flow modulator with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GCxGC-MS) as a tool for improving VOC characterization from complex samples. Chemical measurement of complex VOC matrices is analytically challenging because they are comprised of numerous compounds from different chemical classes, are highly varied in concentration, and have low matrix specificity. The specific aims of this study include the development of procedures for VOC method translation from a GC-MS instrument to a GCxGC-MS instrument using modulation retrofitting. The research team also investigates GCxGC-MS chemometric feature selections on a reference VOC collection with simulated challenges and demonstrates the developed approach on real samples exhibiting high inter-sample VOC variation. Finally, the team conducts the first interdisciplinary study on interpretation of multidimensional chromatographic output by non-specialists to improve communication of data to broader audiences and stakeholders. This program provides a strong analytical basis for the chemical measurement of VOC profiles using GCxGC-MS with RFF to be used in chemical applications. The educational objective of this work is to implement professional development programs that promote career readiness and growth opportunities for students entering the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. These programs include undergraduate research experiences, course-based research experiences, communication-based curriculum development in quantitative subjects, implementation of active learning strategies, and interactive community events to promote student service learning while increasing engagement of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in chemistry. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.