Chemistry Lab Instruments

Traditionally, chemistry has involved "wet laboratory" techniques in which reactions and analyses are done in the lab with beakers and flasks. This is still an important part of chemistry, but modern chemistry has become more and more dependent on the use of laboratory instruments for chemical analyses. At MNU, you will receive a lab-based education that is balanced to teach you both the wet laboratory methods and the instrumental methods that are necessary for a career in chemistry.

Chemistry students at MNU are first introduced to the analytical instruments as freshmen in General Chemistry. By the end of Organic Chemistry during the sophomore year, you will have received hands-on experience with all of our major instruments. During the junior and senior years, you receive ample opportunities to refine your skills.

During your time at MNU, you will work in well-equipped labs and you will learn to use many types of lab instruments, both small and large. Some of the major instruments that you will use are discussed below.

Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AA)

The AA is used to measure the amount of various metals in solutions even when the metal is present in trace amounts of only a few parts per billion.

For example, the AA can be used to measure the amount of lead or mercury in water.

Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS)

The GC/MS is a combination of two major instruments.
It can be used as a stand-alone Gas Chromatograph, which is used to separate a mixtures and determine the % of each component in the mixture. The instrument becomes even more powerful when the Gas Chromatograph is used in combination with the Mass Spectrometer. The Gas Chromatograph is still used to separate the mixture, but now as each component emerges from the GC, it is fed directly into the Mass Spectrometer. Every chemical compound has a unique "fingerprint" in the mass spectrometer. Thus, the
GC/MS not only tells the % of each compound in the mixture, but it allows you to determine the identity of each compound.

One example of the use of the GC/MS is in urine drug testing. Students are given a synthetic urine sample that contains drugs. The drugs are extracted from the urine
and injected into the GC/MS to determine the identity of the drugs.

High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)

The HPLC is similar to the Gas Chromatograph in that it is used to analyze mixtures. It separates mixtures and determines the % of each component in the mixture.
The main difference is the mixture passes through the HPLC as a liquid while it passes through the GC as a gas. This allows the HPLC to analyze chemicals whose boiling points are too high to analyze in the GC. The HPLC can also be used to analyze aqueous mixtures, which cannot be analyzed by gas chromatography.

A typical experiment performed by HPLC is the determination of the caffeine content of various soft drinks.

Infrared Spectrometer (IR)

In the IR, a beam of infrared light is passed through a chemical and the instrument measures the wavelengths of light that the sample absorbs. Since each chemical has a unique "fingerprint" in the IR, it is used extensively to identify organic compounds.

The IR is very widely used at MNU. For example, if you attempt to make aspirin in the lab, the IR can be used to determine how successful your experiment was. Not only can it show if your product is really aspirin, but it can also help you determine if your aspirin is pure.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (NMR)

The NMR uses the same technology that is used to perform an MRI in the medical field. It is widely used to determine the structure and purity of organic compounds. The NMR at MNU is capable of performing proton and carbon-13 NMR spectroscopies, as well as advanced techniques such as DEPT, COSY, and HETCOR.

The combination of infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies is a powerful tool for identifying unknown organic compounds. So when you are participating in the chemistry research program at MNU and you synthesize a compound that has never been synthesized before, the IR and NMR are good starting points for identifying your new compound!

Ultraviolet - Visible Spectrometer (UV/Vis)

In the UV/Vis, a beam of ultraviolet or visible light is passed through a solution and the instrument measures the wavelengths of light that the solution absorbs.

The UV/Vis can be used to determine the concentrations of solutions, see why a compound exhibits a specific color, or even follow the progress of a reaction.