个人简介

Amersham Pharmacia Professor in Residence, Molecular Dynamics, 2000 Visiting Faculty, Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1999 DuPont Educational Aid Grant, DuPont, 1999 Excellence in Graduate Research Award, Iowa State University, 1986 Phillips Petroleum Fellowship in Analytical Chemistry, Iowa State University, 1985 - 1986 ACS Fellowship, ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry, 1984 Alpha Chi Sigma Graduate Research Award in Analytical Chemistry, Iowa State University, 1984

研究领域

Analytical Chemistry

The Synovec group is working in the areas of traditional analytical chemistry and bioanalytical chemistry, centered upon fundamental studies and applications of separation science. Primarily, the group works in the areas of gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) instrumentation, sensors, analytical methodology, chemical measurement science and multivariate data analysis (chemometrics). Overall, the research group seeks to find a better fundamental understanding of the right balance of chemical separation and mathematical separation required to optimally glean the desired chemical information from analytical separation data. We complement our interest in developing and applying novel instrumentation and chemometrics software with a deep interest in modeling the separation processes based upon theory. Our theoretical modeling has provided fundamental insight and guidance for instrumentation design improvements. Application of our separations technology in many exciting areas such as metabolomics, forensics, petroleum-based fuels, biofuels, and environmental systems are being explored. In the area of GC, the fields of two-dimensional GC and chemometric data analysis are being integrated. Comprehensive two-dimensional GC instrumentation with time-of flight mass spectrometry detection (GC×GC-TOFMS) has been developed, improved upon, and applied, using two different modulation interfaces: valve-based and thermal-based. The GC×GC-TOFMS instrument provides an information-rich chemical fingerprint for complex samples, and the data is ideally suited for chemometric data analysis. For example, we are pioneering the development of higher order discovery-based software to find up- and down-regulated biomarker metabolites in metabolomics studies. Based upon the locations found in the two dimensional separation space that indicate potential biomarker locations, the GC×GC-TOFMS data at these key locations is further mined to identify and quantify the metabolites of interest. This is accomplished using the chemometric method PARAFAC, a third order data analysis algorithm. Using PARAFAC, analytes of interest are deconvoluted (i.e., mathematically resolved), identified, and quantified, in the presence of unknown interferences, from a single GC×GC-TOFMS data set, under conditions in which only partial chemical selectivity is needed along the three dimensions (the two GC dimensions and the MS dimension). Recently, we have automated the PARAFAC algorithm using a graphical user interface (GUI). This GUI, as well as other chemometric software we have developed, considerably strengthens our ability to provide valuable insight into complex samples analyzed by GC×GC-TOFMS. This research has been currently extended with novel pattern recognition and discovery-based methods for rapid classification and screening applications, e.g., for bioanalytical metabolomics, forensics, petroleum-based fuels, biofuels, and environmental studies. For many of the projects, we also develop and apply novel LC-MS/MS methods to provide a broader understanding of the chemical systems being investigated. For example, in metabolomics studies the metabolites determined by the GC and LC platforms are complementary, with some metabolites determined by both platforms, but many metabolites more readily determined by one approach than the other. Very recently, the group has also developed a comprehensive three-dimensional gas chromatography instrument (GC×GC×GC), which provides interesting opportunities to study selectivity advantages of three separation dimensions working in concert. Concurrently, work in the area of ultra-high speed GC has been pioneered, with separations on the time scale of a chemical sensor (e.g., separations under a few seconds). This work, in the general area of “GC-on-a-chip,” has involved the study and use of novel single walled carbon nanotube stationary phases within the GC-chip channel structure combined with rapid resistive heating to do rapid temperature programming. For example, GC separations of ten chemical components have been separated in a fraction of one second, and temperature programming rates of 100 °C/second are readily achieved.

近期论文

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"Real-Time Target Selection Optimization to Enhance Alignment of Gas Chromatograms," T. I. Dearing, J. S. Nadeau, B. G. Rohrback, L.S. Ramos and R. E. Synovec, Talanta, 2011, 83, 738. "Application of Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Method to Identify Potential Biomarkers of Perinatal Asphyxia in a Non-Human Primate Model," A. C. Beckstrom, E. M. Humston, L. R. Snyder, R. E. Synovec and S. E. Juul, J. Chromatogr. A, 2011,1218, 1899. "Utilizing a Constant Peak Width Transform for Isothermal Gas Chromatography," J. S. Nadeau, R. B. Wilson, B. D. Fitz, J. T. Reed and R. E. Synovec, J. Chromatogr. A, 2011, 1218, 3718. "Chemometric Analysis of GC-MS Data using Fast Retention Time Alignment via a Total Ion Current Shift Function," J. S. Nadeau, B. W. Wright and R. E. Synovec, Talanta, 2010, 81, 120. "Quantitative Assessment of Moisture Damage for Cacao Bean Quality using Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Combined with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and Chemometrics," E. M. Humston, J. D. Knowles, A. McShea and R. E. Synovec,J. Chromatogr. A, 2010, 1217, 1963. "Increasing Selectivity in Comprehensive Three-Dimensional Gas Chromatography via an Ionic Liquid Stationary Phase Column in One Dimension," W. C. Siegler, J. A. Crank, D. W. Armstrong and R. E. Synovec, J. Chromatogr. A, 2010, 1217, 3144. "Utilizing the Third Order Advantage with Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry," E. M. Humston, J. C. Hoggard and R. E. Synovec, Anal. Chem., 2010, 82, 41. "Development and Application of a Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of L-Methylamino-Alanine in Human Tissue," L. R. Snyder, J. C. Hoggard, T. J. Montine and R. E. Synovec, J. Chromatogr. A, 2010, 1217, 4639. "High-Speed, Temperature Programmable Gas Chromatography Utilizing a Microfabricated Chip with an Improved Carbon Nanotube Stationary Phase," V. R. Reid, M. Stadermann, O. Bakajin and R. E. Synovec, Talanta, 2009, 77, 1420. "Handling Within Run Retention Time Shifts in Two-Dimensional Chromatography Data using Shift Correction and Modeling," T. Skov, J. C. Hoggard, R. Bro and R. E. Synovec, J. Chromatogr. A, 2009, 1216, 4020. "Toward automated peak resolution in complete GC × GC–TOFMS chromatograms by PARAFAC," J. C. Hoggard, W. C. Siegler and R. E. Synovec, J. Chemometrics, 2009, 23, 421. "Chemometric Approaches in Two Dimensional Gas Chromatography," J. C. Hoggard and R. E. Synovec, in Comprehensive Two Dimensional Gas Chromatography (L. Ramos, editor) in Wilson & Wilson’s Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry (D. Barcelo, editor), Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2009, Volume 55, Chapter 5, pp. 107-122. "Development of a GC x GC –TOFMS Method using SPME to Determine Volatile Compounds in Cacao Beans," E. M. Humston, Y. Zhang, G. F. Brabeck, A. McShea and R. E. Synovec, J. Sep. Sci., 2009, 32, 2289. "An Algorithm to Identify Cycling Yeast Metabolites in GCxGC-TOFMS Data," R. E. Mohler, B. P. Tu, K. M. Dombek, J. C. Hoggard, E. T. Young and R. E. Synovec, J. Chromatogr. A, 2008, 1186, 401 "Constituents with Independence from Growth Temperature for Bacteria using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography / Differential Mobility Spectrometry with Analysis of Variance and Principal Component Analysis," S. Prasad, K. M. Pierce, H. Schmidt, J. V. Rao, R. Güth, R. E. Synovec, G. B. Smith and G. A. Eiceman, Analyst, 2008, 6, 760. "High-Speed Gas Chromatography: The Importance of Instrumentation Optimization and the Elimination of Extra-Column Band Broadening," V. R. Reid and R. E. Synovec, Talanta, 2008, 76, 703. "Characterization and Utilization of a Novel High-Temperature Triflate Ionic Liquid Stationary Phase for use in GC x GC," V. R. Reid, J. A. Crank, D. W. Armstrong and R. E. Synovec, J. Sep. Sci., 2008, 31, 3429. "Time-Dependent Profiling of Metabolites from Snf1 Mutant and Wild Type Yeast Cells," E. M. Humston, K. M. Dombek, J. C. Hoggard, E. T. Young and R. E. Synovec, Anal. Chem., 2008, 80, 8002. "Recent Advancements in Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Separations with Chemometrics," K. M. Pierce, J. C. Hoggard, R. E. Mohler and R. E. Synovec, J. Chromatogr. A, 2008, 1184, 341. "Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) of Target Analytes in GC x GC-TOFMS Data: Automated Selection of a Model with an Appropriate Number of Factors," J. C. Hoggard and R. E. Synovec, Anal. Chem., 2007, 79, 1611.