What does mass spectrometry have to do with me, Giles Edwards (Wuthering Bytes 2016)
Channel: AB Open
Date: 2017-08-18

Mass spectrometry isn't just a mind boggling pastime for the egg heads; it is simply a method by which the mass of atoms or molecules is determined experimentally. Mass spectrometers have been used for some fascinating applications in our world like measuring pesticides in carrots, testing for steroid use in athletes, the authenticity of Manuka honey, neonatal screening and carbon dating to name but a few. 

Mass spectrometry is one of the most powerful and versatile analytical techniques available today with unsurpassed speed of analysis, sensitivity and selectivity that can precisely determine the identities and quantities of compounds within a sample.

Mass spectrometers have been sent on numerous missions into space and are used to determine the composition of terrain or the atmosphere of various celestial bodies including monitoring the air quality on board the international space station. More locally, Professor Grenville Turner from Todmorden developed the argon-argon mass spectrometry dating technique to determine the age of lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions.

Starting from the basics of what constitutes an atom, the periodic table of elements and ending with a practical based session analysing some simple small molecules such as paracetamol and caffeine.

The electronics that drives a liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry system (LC/MS/MS) will also be discussed and on display for a hands on practical session.

* Giles Edwards is an inquisitive analytical chemist, engineer and musician who has embarked on a career centred around a passion for characterising the material world using mass spectrometry. After completing a master’s degree in chemistry Giles worked at Liverpool John Moores University running a whole variety of analytical techniques including thermal analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and the mass spectrometry service. Having worked in the past as an IT service engineer for the NHS Giles’ ability to trouble shoot various systems progressed from computers to more sophisticated scientific analytical instrumentation.

In 2009 Giles co-founded the Recycling Organisation for Research Opportunities (RORO) which is a registered charity that specialises in the donation of mass spectrometry systems including installation and training for academics in developing nations. Giles has worked on key projects in Pakistan, Ghana, Oman, Kenya, Mongolia, Egypt and Nepal.

More recently Giles worked as director of the multidisciplinary scientific research centre at the University of Nizwa in Oman. He now lives locally in Eastwood and is finishing off his PhD at the University of Manchester advancing bioanalytical laser ionisation mass spectrometry for imaging applications.