Facilities
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Kent State University maintains outstanding research and instrumentation facilities to support the research mission of its faculty and students.
Individual faculty laboratories are well equipped with chromatographic, spectroscopic, light-scattering, thermal analysis, gravimetric and mass-spectrometric equipment. Single-crystal and powder X-ray diffractometers are also housed in research laboratories in the department. Faculty members have custom-constructed unique Laser-Tweezers instruments and Fourier-transform microwave spectrometers, and a Surface Plasmon Resonance instrument has been installed. Kent State researchers have access to a wide array of synthetic techniques including photochemical, Schlenk-line and other air-sensitive methodologies. You can learn more about faculty research interests by browsing through our faculty directory.
Our students and faculty frequently collaborate with researchers in the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and other related departments. These collaborations may provide access to the Transmission Electron Microscope facility in the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and the Imaging Facility in Biological Sciences.
The Proteomics Core Facility assists researchers with isolation/purification, fractionation and DNA sequencing. Research Engineer Taylor Kurrle maintains the Department’s Glassblowing and Electronic shops in the basement of Williams Hall. The Physics/Chemistry machine shop in nearby Smith Hall provides expert machining services for our students and faculty.
Industrial researchers should contact Dr. Mahinda Gangoda, director of the department’s Analytical Instrumentation Facility, regarding pilot or short-term industrial research projects that may utilize the department’s research facilities.
Our Facilities
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Beckman Coulter Biomek 2000 Laboratory Automation Workstation
The Biomek 2000 is a robust and low-cost expandable laboratory robotics system designed to perform liquid transfer and measurement tasks. The Biomek 2000 is controlled by a PC using the Windows XP-based BioWorks™ Operating System, an easy-to-use software program that directs all instrument functions.
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Beckman Coulter ProteomeLab PF2D
Compared to traditional fractionation techniques, advantages of the PF2D chromatographic approach include:- High loading capacity without band distortion
- Improved detection of low-abundance species
- Membrane or hydrophobic proteins detection
- Enhanced reproducibility
- Contamination-free liquid flow path
- Automation
Subsequent mass spectrometry analysis is easily coupled to the final fraction collector for MALDI or SELDI analysis of intact proteins or tryptic digestion followed by MALDI or ESI and peptide fingerprint mapping.
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Cary 300 Series II Spectrophotometer
- Pre-monochromator - Extends the working range of the Cary 300 past 5 absorbance units by lowering the stray light.
- Sealed optics - prevents exposure to corrosive environments.
- Variable slits - allow optimum control over data resolution. The spectral bandwidth can be set to 0.2 nm.
- Phase locked wavelength drive - prevents peak shifts and peak suppression at high scan speeds.
- Double choppers - ensure that the sample and reference beam strike the detector at the same point.
- The large sample compartment - gives you more flexibility in sample size.
- Centralized accessory control - all accessories are centrally controlled by the Accessory Controller.
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Ciphergen Protein Biology System llc SELDI TOF MS
The unique capture and enrichment methods of SELDI enable the detection of picograms of protein. The analysis platform allows for the differential comparison of multiple samples from several different populations.
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Glassblowing & Electronics Shop
Located in the basement of Williams Hall, the glassblowing and electronics shop offers many services to the chemistry department.
Taylor Kurrle
Research Engineer II
Williams Hall 023
330-672-2977
tkurrle@kent.edu -
Cary 300 Accessories
The SPS-5 (top left), together with the Routine Sampler Accessory (top right), perform high throughput liquid handling. Routine sample analysis is automated, reducing error and analysis time.
- Minimum sample volume 320μL
- Flow cell volume 80μL
- Wavelength range - 190-900nm
- Temperature range - 5-~100ºC
Peltier Temperature Control Accessory unit with provisions for six samples and six reference cuvettes
- Staggered cell positions
- Peltier heating/cooling
- Built-in temperature probe for monitoring cell block temperatures
- Electromagnetic stirring
- Cell lifter
