Get hands-on learning with our facilities and equipment 

Chemistry student hands-on learning in research labThe Chemistry and Biochemistry Department is housed in Chemistry Hall, completed in 2001, containing over 6,500 square feet of undergraduate teaching laboratory space and over 7,500 square feet of research laboratory space. The chemistry faculty believes strongly in the educational merit of laboratory experience and our laboratories are well-equipped for undergraduate instruction and research.

About the Chemistry Hall

  • 100 seat Natural Sciences Auditorium for campus events
  • Two, 1300 sq. ft. general chemistry labs, with specially designed benches for individual and group work centered around computer stations
  • 1600 sq. ft. organic chemistry teaching lab, with individual student stations in fume hoods, ventilated central instrument stations
  • 2500 sq. ft. chemical synthesis suite for organic and inorganic research, with two controlled atmosphere workstations, 400 MHz NMR lab, IR, chromatography and other instrument support
  • 1300 sq. ft. biochemistry teaching lab with attached prep room updated with funding from the the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • 1000 sq. ft. biochemistry research laboratory with cold storage, cell culture, macromolecule purification and macromolecular crystallography facilities
  • 1200 sq. ft. analytical chemistry teaching lab with advanced spectrochemical and chromatographic analysis tools.
  • 2200 sq. ft. chemical analysis suite, including FTIR, atomic absorption, gas and liquid chromatographies
  • Physical measurements suite featuring two optics tables, two pulsed Nd: YAG lasers, and various optical set-ups including transient Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer and Raman spectrometer.
  • Centralized storeroom facility with chemical vault
  • 450 sq. ft. study room and several public study spaces
  • 12 faculty offices and conference room

The small class size and excellent instrumentation allow students opportunities to become familiar with instruments often reserved for graduate students in large institutions. The department has equipment rivaling that of institutions several times its size.

Departmental Instruments

Spectrophotometry

  • Agilent Cary 60 spectrophotometers (2)
  • HP 8453 (UV-VIS) (1)
  • ISS-K2 Phase/Modulation Fluorescence Spectrophotometer
  • Thermofisher NanoDrop One
  • Ocean Optics Red Tide UV-VIS (4)
  • Vernier UV-VIS spectrometer (5)
  • Thermo Nicolet iS10 FTIR with ATR attachment (2)
  • DeltaNu Raman Spectrophotometer
  • Agilent 4200 Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (MP-AES) with SPS 4 Autosampler

Electrochemical

  • BASI epsilon digital potentiostat with C3 cell stand
  • Spectroelectrochemical cell kit

Biochemistry

  • Innova and VWR refrigerated shaking incubators (2)
  • Fisher Scientific Isotemp Incubator
  • Fisher Scientific 150E Dismembrator/Sonicator
  • Beckman Avanti J-25 refrigerated centrifuge with JA14, JA20 and JA21 rotors
  • BioRad BioLogic LP-LC with UV detection and fraction collector (2)
  • BioRad NGC Quest 10 MPLC with UV/Vis detection and fraction collector
  • Eppendorf 5804 refrigerated centrifuge with rotors for 15 mL and 50 mL tubes and 96 well plates
  • Eppendorf 5424 refrigerated microcentrifuge
  • Bio-Rad Gel-Doc EZ Imager
  • 4˚C VWR Refrigerator Case
  • Worthington XT 20L liquid nitrogen storage dewar
  • Worthington CX100B-11M cryogenic shipper dewar
  • Worthington 4LDB liquid nitrogen transfer dewar
  • Tools for harvesting, storing and transferring protein crystals for cryo-crystallography
  • Tuttnauer 3870 autoclave
  • Motic SMZ-168 stereomicroscope with Moticam BTU microscope camera system
  • Promega GloMax Navigator luminometer
  • VWR 5705 -80˚C freezer
  • Refrigerator/Freezers (3)
  • Manitowoc ice maker          
  • Barnstead Nanopure water filtration system
  • Bio-Rad T100 thermal cycler
  • FTS Systems Flexi-dry MP lyophilizer
  • Thermo Scientific DNA120 SpeedVac concentrator
  • Biospec Beadbeater homogenizer
  • Labconco class II biological safety cabinet

Analytical

  • Agilent 1290 Infinity II HPLC with Agilent 6460 Triple Quad LC/MS detector
  • Agilent 7820A GC-MS
  • Agilent 1200 HPLC with diode array detector
  • Agilent 1100 HPLC with diode array detector
  • Agilent 6890N GC-FID
  • Agilent 4200 MP-Atomic Emission Spectrometer
  • Barnstead Nanopure Diamond water system
  • Analytical balances (11)
  • Thermo Scientific flammable refrigerator/freezer
  • ABI 270A Capillary Electrophoresis
  • Varian 3800 GC-MS (model 2200 MS)
  • Aerograph Autoprep A700 (Preparative GC)
  • Kontes Spinning Band Distillation Column

Magnetic Resonance

  • Bruker Ascend 400 MHz NMR with 24-slot sample changer

Synthesis

  • Hanovia Medium Pressure Quartz Immersion Photochemical Reactors (2)
  • Low Vacuum Preparative Lines (3), Schlenk Lines (5)
  • Parr Hydrogenation Apparatus, Parr High Pressure Mini-Reactor
  • Labconco 50004 Controlled Atmosphere Glove Box
  • Vacuum Controlled Atmosphere Double Glove Box
  • IKA RV-10 Rotovap and Buchi Rotovaps (2)
  • Isotemp Muffle Furnace
  • Thermolyne Tube Furnace

Spectroscopy

  • Pulsed Nd:YAG laser (2)
  • Pulsed nitrogen laser
  • Newport MS260i spectrograph
  • Avaspec TLS2048 Thermoelectrically cooled spectrometer
  • Digital oscilloscopes (3)
  • Omnichrome HeCd Laser
  • Potomac Photonics Waveguide Excimer Laser
  • TAC II 215 Carbon Dioxide Laser
  • Optical Table (2)