NKU Chemistry - Facilities

Physical Space

Natural Science Center

The Department of Chemistry is located in the Natural Science Center, which also houses the Departments of Biological Sciences and Physics and Geology. Opened in the fall of 2002, This building has 172,000 gross square feet.

General Chemistry Labs

Two laboratories are used predominantly for the General Chemistry courses. Each lab is equipped with MeasureNet®, a computer based data acquisition system. Undergraduates get hands-on experience with the Nicolet Protégé 460 infrared spectrometer dedicated for use in the General Chemistry labs, GOW-MAC Model 350 gas chromatographs, and analytical balances. There are also four PCs for writeups and an internet based multimedia system in each lab.

Organic & Inorganic Chemistry Labs

NKU has two labs used for ogranic chemistry and advanced inorganic laboratory courses. Each room has 16 fume hoods (one per student). One of the rooms is equipped with a vacuum / inert gas manifold in each hood. Each lab is also equipped with four rotary evaporators. Students also have access to balances, computers and an infrared spectromter in these labs.

Undergraduate Research Labs

There are three laboratories dedicated to undergraduate research. Two laboratories used primarily for organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry. Each laboratory has six fume hoods. The third lab is dedicated to biochemical research. All of the labs also have computer resources. The analytical equipment used in research is shared with the undergraduate laboratory courses and is found throughout the department.

Waters HPLC Lab

Through an agreement with the Waters corporation, the chemistry department houses much of Waters' state-of-the-art HPLC and MS equipment. When the equipment is not being demonstrated, it is can be used for research by NKU faculty and students in collaboration with Dr. Oehrle.

Laser Lab

This room contains instruments necessary for absorption, emission, transient absorption and Stark spectroscopic techniques. The equipment and instruments include a Nd:YAG Laser, Scanning UV-Vis spectrophotometer, emission spectrometer, and a liqiud nitrogen optical cryostat (all shown below). These items are used in undergraduate courses as well as for undergraduate research. This lab is run by Dr. Walters

Equipment

JEOL Eclipse
500+ NMR Spectrometer

The NKU Chemistry department is certainly one of only a handfull of strictly undergraduate departments in the county with a 500 MHz NMR spectrometer. Purchased in 2002, the spectrometer is used to identify and assign structures to organic compounds. Undergraduates get hands on training with this instrument in the organic chemistry laboratory courses, 310 L and 311 L.. The instrument is also used heavily in undergraduate research.

Varian CP 3800 Gas Chromatograph -
Saturn 2000 Mass spectrometer

Varian 220FS
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer with Graphite Furnace

HP 6890
Gas Chromatograph

Waters Autopurification System

This system consists of a Waters 2525 Prep HPLC Pump, 2767 Autosampler and collector, 2996 Photodiode array detector and ZQ Mass Spectrometer. It is capable of purifying up to milligram quantities of compounds automatically using either UV and/or MS detection as well as access purity for the collected material.

Waters Breeze HPLC system

This system, consists of a 1525 Binary gradient Pump, 717+ Autosampler, Column heater, 2487 UZV-Vis Detector and 464 Electrochemical detector. We have two systems in the department. This one using the 464 electrochemical detector is used by undergraduate research students to analyze for neurotransmitterssuch as serotonin. The other Breeze system is used for undergraduate instrumental lab as well as by other research students

Nicolet FT- Infrared
Spectrometers

The department has a Protégé 460, a Nexus 470, and a Nexus 670 spectrometers which serve chemistry students in lower and upper division labs. These spectrometers measure in the 4000 cm-1 - 200 cm-1 range with a resolution as high as 0.125 cm-1. A library of spectra for 10,000 compounds is also available.

Varian Cary 100 Scanning UV-Vis Spectrophotometer

Part of the Walters Laser Lab. Used to measure the absorption spectra of molecules. This instrument is used for both upper division laboratory classes and research.

Quantel Brilliant
Nd:YAG Laser

Part of the Walters Laser Lab. Excitation source for the transient absorption spectrometer (below).Emits laser light at 1054 nm (IR), 532 nm (green visible), and 355 nm (near UV).

Laser table portion of Nanosecond-Regime Transient Absorption Spectrometer

Part of the Walters Laser Lab.Used to measure the transient absorption spectra of molecules. Also used to measure Stark absorption spectra. Signals are measured with a Lecroy digitizing oscilloscope The spectrometer is controlled with electronics designed and built in-house.

Oxford Instruments
Optistat Liquid Nitrogen
Optical Cryostat

Part of the Walters Laser Lab. Used to measure the absorption, emission, or transient absorption spectra of molecules at various temperatures from 77 to 300 K.

JY-Horibe SPEX Emission Spectometer

Part of the Walters Laser Lab. Used to measure the normal and Stark emission spectra of molecules.

Innovative Technologies Glove Box

The glovebox provides an inert atmosphere with oxygen and moisture levels below 1 part per million and has an associated freezer capable of temperatures as low as -35 °C. This system is used by upper division students and research students who are preparing and evaluating compounds that decompose in the presence of air. Electroanalytical work with air sensitive compounds can also be carried out.

Waters Capillary HPLC system

This Capillary HPLC system capable of microscale HPLC at flow rates of 100 nL/min - 10 uL/min using 0.32 mm diameter columns. This system is typically used to separate and identify various molecules including proteins and peptides as well as small pharmaceutical drugs. Detection techniques used on this include photodiode array detection (PDA) and/or MS.

Waters 2795 separations modules and 2996 PDA

This is the top of the line quaternary HPLC system capable of standard analytical and microbore LC. This is a common system used in industry and academia for analytical work. Two of these systems are located in the Waters lab.