Services and Facilities available in the School of Chemistry
The School has a wide range of research and support facilities available in-house to researchers from within the School and outside (both academic and industrial researchers) subject to availability and upon application. Brief details are given in the list below together with contact details for the member of staff responsible for managing the services. Applications are welcome from the ScotCHEM chemistry departments, who enjoy the same access privileges as St Andrews researchers. Some facilities have their own websites which can also be accessed from this page by clicking on the appropriate link.
A complete list of ScotCHEM facilities located in the Scottish universities system is available.
- Solution-phase NMR Spectroscopy
- The department has five nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers for solution NMR. Three instruments operate at 300 MHz for proton observation and the other two at 500 MHz. All the spectrometers have the capability of recording spectra above and below room temperature and the two Bruker Avance 300 spectrometers and the Bruker Avance 500 spectrometer are fully automated with autosampling robots. The Facility is capable of acquiring data on almost any nucleus and has extensive capabilities for triple resonance experiments.
Please refer to the website for more information. Email: Dr Douglas Philp; Telephone: 01334 467264
- NMR JEOL GSX Delta 270
Email: Prof J.D. Woollins; Tel 01334 46 3861
- Solid State NMR Spectroscopy
A solid state NMR service is available on a 400MHz HFXY Bruker Avance III spectrometer. This spectrometer has four radio frequency channels and two dual channel probes (7mm and 4mm) for routine service work with MAS up to 18 kHz and HFXY capabilities.
Please contact Dr Philip Wormald.
Email: Dr Philip Wormald; Telephone: 01334 463382.For more information on research in solid-state NMR at St Andrews, please refer to Dr Wormald's website and Dr Ashbrook's website
- Centre of Magnetic Resonance (CMR)
- The CMR is an interdisciplinary platform serving the Schools of
Chemistry, Biology and Physics, joining research groups that are active
in all fields of magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Established in 2008,
the Centre combines expertise in liquid– or solid-state Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance (NMR), Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP), Electron
Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), Muon Spin Rotation (mSR) and Computational
Magnetic Resonance, and aims to encourage synergy between researchers
using these tools.
Website. Contact: Dr. Graham Smith - Email: gms@st-and.ac.uk
- Raman Spectroscopy
- Perkin Elmer System 2000 (FT)
Email: Prof J.D. Woollins; Tel 01334 46 3861
- Powder X-ray Diffraction
- The School currently has seven powder X-ray diffractometers. The current facility comprises two Philips diffractometers operating in reflection geometry, and five Stoe diffractometers operating in transmission mode (capillary and flat-plate), one of which uses Fe rather than Cu radiation.
Email: Dr Yuri Andreev - Email: ya@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463814
- Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction
- The School currently has the following systems:
Rigaku Cu MM007 high brilliance generator with Saturn 92 CCD and XStream LT accessory.
Rigaku Mo MM007 (dual port) high brilliance generator with Saturn 70 and Mercury CCD detectors and two XStream LT accessories.
In addition, dedicated computational facilities: PCs and UNIX workstations running Bruker SMART, SAINT SHELXTL and Rigaku CrystalClear, CrystalStructure, HKL2000 and various additional X-ray software.
Contact: Prof Alex Slawin, preferably by email in the first instance: amzs@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 467280.
To make a request for an X-ray structure determination, please download the Word document form which is available from Prof Slawin's research group website.
- Glass Blowing Workshop
- The glassblowing workshop will produce one-off pieces of
glassware to your design or production runs of Borosilicate,
Quartz, Soda or Lead glass. Website.
Contact: Mr Colin Smith - Email: cfms@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463890
- Electronics Workshop
- Located on level 1 of Purdie, Room 136.
Contact: Mr Brian Walker - Email: bw2@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463797
- Mechanical Workshop
- Located on level 1 of Purdie, Room 137.
Contact: Mr Robert (Bobby) Cathcart - Email: rec2@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463798
- Stores
- Stores are located on level 1 of Purdie, Room 134.
Opening hours: 9.30-11.00; 11.30-12.00; 2-4.00; 4.30-4.45.
Contact: Mr Colin Millar - Email: cm20@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463784
- Electron Microscopy
- The School's electron microscopy unit houses two high resolution transmission electron microscopes and a Jeol JSM-5600 scanning electron microscope. In both the JEM 2010 TEM and the JSM 5600 SEM, EDX (Energy Dispersive X-rays) systems for analytical elemental analysis are integrated within the microscopes. In the case of the TEM 2010, the ISIS system is installed and with the SEM 5600, the Inca Energy System
Web Site Contact: Dr W Zhou- Email: wzhou@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 467276
- Thermal Analysis and Porosimetry
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry - Netzsch DSC 204 Instrument: Range -150 to 400C; high sensitivity. Perkin-Elmer DSC7: -110 to 440C
- Thermogravimetric Analysis - Netzsch STA 449C with Mass Spec: TGA/DSC or TGA/DTA under oxidising or reducing atmosphere to 1600C, coupled to a Pfeiffer mass spectrometer (200amu) for evolved gas analysis. TA Instruments SDT 2960: TGA/DTA under oxidising atmosphere to 1250C. Rheometrics TG 1000M: TGA under oxidising or reducing atmosphere, water cooled furnace allows rapid heating/cooling, can be run under wet atmosphere.
- Thermal Expansion - Netzsch Dilatometer DIL402C: Oxidising or reducing atmosphere to 1550C.
-
Porosimetry -
Hiden IGA porosimeter: Gas and vapour adsorption, BET analysis.
Contact: Mrs Sylvia Williamson- Email: sw14@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463697
- Elemental and UV/Vis/IR Spectroscopic Analysis
-
Agilent 7500 series ICP-MS spectrometer Solution: aqueous or organic matrix; Laser Ablation facility.
Pye Unicam AAS spectrometer: AAS or FES.
Carlo Erba CHNS analyser: Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur analysis on solid or liquid samples. Submit completed forms with samples to Purdie Room 217b.
Perkin Elmer Lambda 35 UV/VIS spectrometer: Liquid or solid samples.
Perkin Elmer Spectrum GX IR spectrometer: Large number of attachments.
Contact: Mrs Sylvia Williamson- Email: sw14@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463697
- Mass Spectrometry
- The department has two mass spectrometers for service work. A
Micromass GCT provides EI and CI at low and high resolution and a
Micromass LCT provides a low and high resolution electrospray
service.
Sample submission form. Contact: Mrs Caroline Horsburgh - Email: cerh@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463790
See also the next item.
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Service (not solely School of Chemistry instruments)
- Micromass, TofSpec 2E, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer This instrument is used for the analysis of proteolytic digests (normally trypsin) of proteins typically for peptide mass fingerprinting but mass shifts due to PTMs, adduct formation or SeMet incorporation can also be observed. The instrument is also used for intact protein mass analysis.
Micromass, LCT, ESI mass spectrometer and Waters, 2795, HPLC
This instrument is used for intact protein mass analysis and small molecule analysis by infusion and LC-MS
Applied Biosystems/Sciex, Q-Star Pulsar XL, ESI/MALDI-MS/MS mass spectrometer, a Dionex, UltiMate, HPLC and a Dionex, Probot, MALDI target spotter for LC-MALDI. This instrument is used for the analysis of proteolytic digests of more complex mixtures or weaker samples than the MALDI instrument, as it has MS/MS capability. Techniques include GeLC analysis (analysis of a series of sections from 1D SDS-PAGs instead of individual bands), and ICAT and iTRAQ quantitation. PTMs and other modifications can be mapped to the individual amino acid. Due to time constraints this instrument is run almost exclusively in nanoLC-ESI MS/MSmode, however static nanospray of intact proteins and MALDI analysis is also possible.
Genomic Solutions, ProGest, in-gel digestion robot This instrument carries out automated in-gel proteolytic digests from 1 and 2D SDS-PAG bands and spots.
Web Site. Contact: Dr C Botting- Email: cb2@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 467186
- Surface Science
- The School currently has the following: Omicron UHV Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM); four Molecular Imaging STM instruments, all of which work in ambient and electrochemical environments and are also capable of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM); an additional AFM instrument. UHV Nicolet FTIR with polarisation modulation (PM) and ATR attachment; an additional Digilab PM-FTIR system with facilities for sample analysis at the liquid-solid interface/electrochemical environments; Laser system for Sum Frequency Generation/Second Harmonic Generation (SFG/SHG); UHV x-ray photoemission (XPS); two UHV High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (HREELS) systems; UHV LEED/AES/TPD/high pressure cell + Gas chromatograph; Tensiometer for contact angle measurements.
Contact: Dr Steve Francis - Email: smf6@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 462273
- High-Throughput Screening
- Perkin Elmer minitrack (liquid handling robot) housed in a level two hood;
Perkin Elmer Envision plate reader;
Wallac Victor plate reader;
Level II biosafety cabinet.
Contact: Dr N J Westwood - Email: njw3@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463816
- Organic Semiconductor Centre (OSC)
- The OSC, based in the School of Physics and Astronomy, aims to encourage synergy between physicists and chemists to develop the next generation of organic semiconductors and more recently the OSC started to develop
collaborations with researchers in biology and medicine. The OSC facilitates the achievement of this goal by providing world class facilities for the researchers within the centre and by focusing on conjugated polymers and
dendrimers, as well as their combination with quantum dots. In 2001, the centre was established with a substantial award from The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) to provide the equipment for the centre. The centre has access to a class 10000 clean room with a glove box equipped with an evaporator
and spin coater for producing devices in an oxygen free environment. There are facilities to test light emitting diodes and solar cells. An Atomic Force
Microscrope, an optical near-field microscope and an ellipsometer are available for film characterisation and an extensive range of spectroscopic techniques has been developed in order to characterize new materials.
Website. Contact: Prof Ifor Samuel or Dr Pascal André - Email: osc@st-and.ac.uk
- Computational Chemistry
- Please see the new EaStCHEM research computing website. The department also offers a web-based computational chemistry
service using WebMO. This portal currently provides access to the
quantum chemistry programs GAMESS and MOPAC. You must be a
registered user to access this service.
Email: Dr Douglas Philp - Email: dp12@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 467264 or Mr Jim Bews - Email: jrb1@st-and.ac.uk; Telephone: 01334 463830
Last updated:22 October, 2009
