Research Facilities & Collaborations

Home to over 65 cutting-edge research and teaching labs, the UConn Chemistry Building boasts state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that help pave the way for new discoveries.

Mass Spectrometry Facility

The Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Omics Analysis has been serving UConn and the state industry since the 1980s. The laboratory is located in R403 on the fourth floor of the Chemistry Building. With six mass spectrometers, the facility provides a wide variety of analytical services.

Learn more about the Mass Spectrometry Facility

NMR Facility

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility at UConn recognizes the important role that NMR plays in molecular structure determination, drug design, protein and nucleic acid characterization, and conformational analysis. The instrumentation serves the high-resolution research needs for investigators from the Departments of Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. The Facility is part of the University-wide Partnership for Excellence in Structural Biology and maintains collaborative ties with its sister NMR Facility at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The services and equipment of the UConn NMR Facility are also available to industry and other academic institutions.

NMR Training & Education

Only trained users can be granted an access to the NMR spectrometers. The NMR Facility Staff provides training and consultation in the use of instruments under their respective supervision. A 24-hour notice is required for scheduling a hands-on training session. For specific questions regarding applications for any NMR instrument and for any general managerial questions, please contact the NMR Facility Director Dr. Luke Fulton at (860) 486-4069 or at fko24003@uconn.edu.

NMR Instruments & Rates

Varian INOVA 600 MHz

Fitted with a triple-resonance (1H, 13C, 15N) inverse cryogenic probe, the Varian 600 has a superior proton sensitivity (signal-to-noise ratio ~4500). Owing to a high proton sensitivity, the 600 is an instrument of choice for characterization of submicrogram quantities of soluble organic compounds and the natural products via the proton-detected experiments: 1H one-dimensional spectra, 1H-1H, 1H-13C, and 1H-15N two-dimensional correlation spectra (COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, HSQC, HMBC, etc). The spectrometer is also fully equipped to carry out the biomolecular multidimensional (3D, 4D) NMR experiments and Diffusion Ordered Spectroscopy (DOSY) experiments. The Varian 600 can be found in the Chemistry Building, room R002.

Rates: Internal Users (any UConn faculty and members of their group)
  • $11.00/hr for unassisted use (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session)
  • $31.00/hr for assisted use (i.e. NMR staff collects the data)
  • $75.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
Rates: External Users
  • Academic Institutions (not-for-profit):
    • $50.00/hr for unassisted use (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session)
    • $90.00/hr for assisted use (i.e. NMR staff collects the data)
    • $120.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
  • Companies (for-profit):
    • $90.00/hr for unassisted use
    • $150.00/hr for assisted use
    • $150.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee

Bruker AVANCE 500 MHz

This walk-up spectrometer is equipped with the broadband 5 mm BBFO SmartProbe that can automatically select, optimally tune, and match with the auto tune-match (ATM) component to any nuclei in the resonance frequency range between 15N-31P. Besides, this BBFO probe has the added ability to observe 19F with 1H decoupling and vice-versa, as well as to perform 1H-19F 2D correlation spectroscopy. The probe has a signal-to-noise ratio 730 for 1H, 550 for 19F, 300 for 13C, 180 for 31P and 40 for 15N. The Bruker AVANCE 500 is an instrument of choice for users with small quantities of a compound and for multidimensional experiments such as HSQC, HMBC or NOESY. It is used when a higher resolution NMR is necessary for chemical structure elucidation and supports NMR studies on proteins and nucleic acids. The spectrometer is located in the Pharmacy/Biology Building, room 056.

Rates: Internal Users (any UConn faculty and members of their group)
  • $9.00/hr for unassisted use
  • $29.00/hr for assisted use
  • $75.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
Rates: External Users
  • Academic Institutions (not-for-profit):
    • $60.00/hr for unassisted use (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session)
    • $90.00/hr for assisted use (i.e. NMR staff collects the data)
    • $100.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
  • Companies (for-profit):
    • $90.00/hr for unassisted use
    • $150.00/hr for assisted use
    • $150.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee

Bruker AVANCE III 400 MHz

This workhorse of the Chemistry Department is equipped with a two-channel console and a 5mm BBFO probe with 19F capability. It delivers a signal-to-noise ratio 300 for 1H, 275 for 19F, 190 for 13C, 150 for 31P, and 20 for 15N with automatic tuning and matching to selected nuclei. The AVANCE III 400 is used for both one-dimensional and advanced two-dimensional experiments. It is located in the Chemistry Building, room R002.

Rates: Internal Users (any UConn faculty and members of their group)

Magnet time for AVANCE III 400 (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session):

  • $10.00/hr flat rate
  • $75.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
    Rates: External Users
    • Academic Institutions (not-for-profit):
      • $10.00/hr for unassisted use (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session)
      • $90.00/hr for assisted use (i.e. NMR staff collects the data)
      • $100.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
    • Companies (for-profit):
      • $90.00/hr for unassisted use
      • $150.00/hr for assisted use
      • $150.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee

      Bruker AVANCE 300 MHz

      This two-channel instrument has a 5mm BBO probe with ATM component and can be used for a broad range of nuclei. It is mostly used for routine NMR spectroscopy and for undergraduate research and education.

      Rates: Internal Users (any UConn faculty and members of their group)

      Magnet time for AVANCE 300 (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session):

      • $8.00/hr flat rate
      • $75.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
          Rates: External Users
          • Academic Institutions (not-for-profit):
            • $10.00/hr for unassisted use (i.e. users run their samples, after the NMR training session)
            • $90.00/hr for assisted use (i.e. NMR staff collects the data)
            • $100.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee
          • Companies (for-profit):
            • $90.00/hr for unassisted use
            • $150.00/hr for assisted use
            • $150.00/hr Training/Set-up/Consulting fee

            Institute of Materials Science NMR Instruments

            In addition to the above NMR spectrometers, the Institute of Materials Science (IMS) houses two Bruker NMR instruments: solid-state AVANCE III 400 MHz and the solution DMX 500 MHz. Visit the IMS NMR Laboratory for more information.

            Surface Analysis Facility

            Surface Analysis provides chemical element and bonding information of substances from nanometer scale of surface and near surface for various materials. In addition, depth profiling, elemental image mapping, and micro-area analysis extend the capabilities of many of these techniques.

            Learn more about the Surface Analysis Facility

            Collaborations with UConn Centers & Institutes

            Institute of Materials Science (IMS)

            UConn's Institute of Materials Science (IMS) was established in 1965 as an advanced materials research center, providing superior graduate research education in the interdisciplinary fields of materials science and engineering, and offering materials-related technical outreach to Connecticut’s industries. IMS operates and maintains extensive state-of-the-art instrumentation. Faculty members from 20 departments, including UConn Health, are affiliated with IMS and contribute to the Institute’s interdisciplinary research programs and outreach. 

            IMS supports over 100 graduate students in three primary fields of study: materials science and engineering, polymer science, and materials science. The Institute is also home to the Industrial Affiliates Program, an industry outreach program which assists Connecticut companies in their research and development efforts to improve new and existing products. 

            For more information, visit the Institute of Materials Science.

            Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment (COR2E)

            The Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment (COR2E) promotes and supports the growth of research at UConn by serving the University’s world-class research faculty.

            COR2E manages a growing number of essential and state-of-the-art core research facilities, and provides assistance in the management of many others across the University.

            For more information, visit COR2E.

            UConn Innovation Partnership Building (IPB)

            The UConn Innovation Partnership Building (IPB) is a high-tech, state-of-the-art applied research facility that promotes expansion of industry partnerships, research and development, and economic growth in the State of Connecticut. The IPB provides a cross-disciplinary ecosystem that inspires great ideas, pushing the envelope for next-generation solutions to critical real world problems in fields ranging from manufacturing to biomedical devices to cybersecurity.

            IPB equipment is available for collaborative research between UConn researchers and students, industry partners, and entrepreneurs.

            For more information, visit the Innovation Partnership Building at UConn Tech Park.

            UConn Health

            UConn Health is a vibrant, integrated academic medical center with three mission areas: academics, research, and clinical care. Based on a strong foundation of groundbreaking research, first-rate education, and quality clinical care, UConn Health has expanded its medical missions over the decades.

            The faculty at UConn Health are engaged in a broad range of research activities within the basic, behavioral, and biomedical sciences, including the Department of Chemistry, with the goal of improving the health and well-being of the people of Connecticut and populations across the globe.

            For more information, visit UConn Health.

            More Equipment & On-site Facilities

            Atomic Force, Scanning Tunneling & Electron Microscopy

            Atomic Layer Deposition

            Biocalorimetry Instrumentation

            Bioinformatics

            Cell Culture Facility

            Chemical Vapor Deposition

            CD Absorption and Emission Spectrometers

            Electrochemical Work Stations

            FTIR-FT Raman Instrument

            High Performance Computational Clusters

            Powder X-ray Diffractometry

            Scanning Electron Microscope

            Steady State and Time-resolved Fluorescence Spectrometers

            Stopped-flow UV-vis Spectrometer

             

            Surface Science
            X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer
            Scanning Auger Microscope
            BET

            Technical Services
            Machine Shop

            Thermogravimetric Analysis

            UV-vis Absorption Spectrometers