Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
Encyclopedia
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington....
, Richland, Washington. EMSL is a 224463 square feet (20,853.3 m²) facility that provides integrated experimental and computational resources for discovery and technological innovation to support the environmental and energy mission of the U.S. Department of Energy.
EMSL has capabilities in protein measurements, oxide and mineral interface chemistry, and computational chemistry. In addition, EMSL has expertise and resources in mass spectrometry and high-field magnetic resonance.
Use of the capabilities at EMSL is through a peer-reviewed proposal process. If a proposal is accepted and the scientist publishes in the open literature, there is no charge for using the EMSL instrumentation. EMSL has hosted thousands of users since opening its doors in 1997.
Research
EMSL has a focus on integrating computational and experimental capabilities as well as collaborating among disciplines to yield a synergistic scientific environment. By bringing together experts and instruments under one roof, EMSL has helped researchers solve challenges such as- Determining for the first time how much energy it takes to move electrons and protons in a metal-protein complex
- Understanding how microorganisms exchange energy and electrons with minerals in soils, sediments, and subsurface materials
- Studying a molybdenum oxide catalyst that can convert wasted gaseous methane to liquid fuel. This catalytic study was possible because of the high-field strength of the EMSL 900 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance mass spectrometry
- Measuring the structural and bonding parameters of uranylUranylThe uranyl ion is an oxycation of uranium in the oxidation state +6, with the chemical formula [UO2]2+. It has a linear structure with short U-O bonds, indicative of the presence of multiple bonds between uranium and oxygen. Four or more ligands are bound to the uranyl ion in an equatorial plane...
, the most common oxidation state of uranium in systems containing water. This work was done on the EMSL supercomputer with NWChemNWChemNWChem is an ab initio computational chemistry software package which also includes quantum chemical and molecular dynamics functionality.It was designed to run on high-performance parallel supercomputers as well as conventional workstation clusters. It aims to be scalable both in its ability to...
, a chemistry software package optimized for parallel computation.
Grand Challenges
EMSL launched Scientific Grand Challenges to bring together researchers from multiple institutions to study biological processes that address current issues in energy and the environment.In the Biogeochemistry Grand Challenge, researchers are working to understand basic earth-life interactions that impact the migration of environmental contaminants, water quality, soil fertility, and trace metal levels.
In the Membrane Biology Grand Challenge, researchers are investigating global biological carbon sequestration and energy generating processes in cyanobacteria, sometimes called blue-green algae, specifically Synechocystis 6803 and Cyanothece 51142.
Capabilities at EMSL
EMSL's collection of computational and experimental capabilities allows researchers to tackle scientific challenges from all angles. EMSL’s capabilities include- Molecular science computing (hardware and fundamental chemical software)
- Deposition and microfabrication (including a focus on oxides)
- Cell isolation & systems analysis (systems biology)
- Mass spectrometryMass spectrometryMass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
(with a focus on proteomics) - Microscopy
- NMRNMRNMR may refer to:Applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance:* Nuclear magnetic resonance* NMR spectroscopy* Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance* Protein nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy* Proton NMR* Carbon-13 NMR...
and EPR - Spectroscopy and diffraction
- Subsurface flow and transport.
Expertise
EMSL staff and scientific consultants are experts in chemical, physical, biological, and computational sciences. They have received numerous awards, been named to society fellowships, have received patents, and publish in scientific journals.History
EMSL opened on October 1, 1997, but the concept was set in motion a decade earlier with the U.S. National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
report entitled Opportunities in Chemistry. The report identified scientific challenges relating to energy and the environment that required fundamental research to achieve a solution. The report galvanized PNNL Director William R. Wiley to create a vision for what would become EMSL.
Wiley envisioned a facility where the research was conducted in an integrated and collaborative manner. “Problems don’t come in small, unique, compartmentalized packages. We must recognize the interrelationships,” said Wiley.
The facility was dedicated on October 16, 1996, in honor of Wiley, who died three months earlier. Then-DOE Secretary Hazel O'Leary delivered the dedication speech and Wiley’s wife Gus cut the ribbon.
On December 2, 2010, a 126 kW grid-connected solar array was commissioned in a water retention swale to the north of the EMSL building. The installation also included 12 Coulomb
Coulomb Technologies
Coulomb Technologies is an electric vehicle infrastructure company, based in Campbell, California. Coulomb Technologies was founded in 2007 by Richard Lowenthal and Praveen Mandal....
electric vehicle
Electric vehicle
An electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
charging stations.
EMSL directors
- Thom Dunning — led construction activities, 1990s
- Teresa Fryberger — interim director, 1997–1998
- Jean Futrell — 1998–2002
- J.W. Rogers, Jr. — 2002–2005
- Allison Campbell (current) — 2005–present