Faculty & Research

Research Facilities

Individual research laboratories typically have a substantial collection of supplies and equipment, including spectroscopic and structural analysis tools. Increasingly, however, modern research in Chemistry requires  access  to  expensive  state-of-the-art equipment, making it necessary to  purchase  such  items  on  a  shared  basis and to provide staff for operation and  maintenance.  Facilities  to  pursue  research in emerging areas of Chemistry are  present  in  the  Chemistry  Building  and  are  accessible  to  all  graduate  students:

Located in the Chemistry building, the Max  T.  Rogers  NMR  Facility  provides  twelve  high-field  Varian/Agilent  NMR  spectrometers  with  proton  resonance  frequencies  ranging  from  300 – 600  MHz.    This  includes  four  300  MHz  instruments  for  routine  studies,  three  400   MHz   NMR   spectrometers   for   solid-state  experiments,  two  500  MHz  spectrometers for routine and advanced experiments, two fully automated 500 MHz spectrometers equipped each with 96 sample robotic autosamplers, and a 600  MHz  instrument  for  biomolecular  and advanced small molecule work.

In  2020,  the  NMR  facility  will  undergo  room   renovations   and   extensive   upgrades  to  the  research  instruments.    These  will  include  a  new  500  MHz  spectrometer   with   an   X-nucleus   optimized  cryoprobe  and  a  reaction  monitoring accessory, a new 600 MHz system  with  HCN  cryoprobe,  a  new  800  MHz  system  with  cryoprobe  and  fast-MAS  solid-state  NMR  capabilities,  and two new 400 MHz solid-state NMR systems optimized for bio-solids.

Since   mass   spectrometry   is   an   indispensable  tool  in  many  research  areas, Department researchers have easy access  to  twelve  mass  spectrometers  at  the  MSU  Mass  Spectrometry  and  Metabolomics  Core, located in  the  adjacent  Biochemistry  Building.    The Core offers a variety of GC/MS, LC/MS/MS, and MALDI mass spectrometers with  an  assortment  of  inlets  and  ionization  methods,  and  functions  as  an  open  access  laboratory.  Students  are  encouraged  to  become  trained  instrument  users;  training  includes  discussions  of  theory  and  operation  of Core instruments; following training, users enjoy 24/7 access using a Google Calendar  reservation  system.  Recent  Chemistry researchers have used these instruments for low- and high-resolution (accurate  mass)  analyses  of  synthetic  compounds, quantitative analyses, and compound  localization  using  mass  spectrometry imaging. Facility staff are available to provide expert consultation regarding  method  development  and  data   interpretation,   and   perform   sample  analyses  upon  request.  Mass  spectrometers  can  also  be  found  in  many individual research laboratories.

The   Chemistry   Department   X-ray   Facility  was  just  awarded  (2019)  an  MRI-NSF  grant  for  a  dual  microfocus  source  with  a  HYPIX  Detector,  which  allows  for  rapid  non-shutter  operation.  This  gives  us  the  latest  technology  for  single  crystal  structural  analysis.  The  University continues to provide access to the APS Synchrotron through LSCAT for  protein  crystallography  and  other  X-ray diffraction needs. The department also  houses  a  routine  powder  X-ray  diffractometer and an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer  for  qualitative  and  semi-quantitative analyses. Graduate students may  request  hands-on  training  in  the  use of these instruments, which allows for  them  to  gain  valuable  experience  and expertise in X-ray technologies.

In  addition  to  these  major  instrument  facilities in the Department, conveniently-located instrument rooms house liquid and  gas  chromatographic  equipment,  UV-VIS, FTIR, FT-MS, and fluorescence and  Raman  spectrometers.  Elemental  analysis via x-ray fluorescence, AA, and  ICP are also available in the Chemistry Building.

The  Chemistry  Department  operates  well-equipped  shops  for  the  design  and  fabrication  of  unique  and  custom  instrumentation and apparatus, and the repair  of  existing  equipment  required  for research and teaching. The Machine Shop and the Glassblowing Facility are staffed  by  experienced  professionals  who  are  a  vital  component  of  the  research performed at MSU. If you need something but can’t buy it anywhere, it can likely be constructed with facilities in our Department.