Chemistry

Laboratories and Instrumentation

The technology and facilities at La Roche's Chemistry Department are among the most advanced available today. Grants from national institutions, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and local professional societies have helped the college acquire a plethora of instrumentation, a new computer lab and a recently opened Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility.

Equipment

The Chemistry Department's newest instruments include a Perkin-Elmer Turbo Mass Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer, a Perkin-Elmer BX-11 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIS), and a Perkin-Elmer Analyst 100 Automatic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The state-of-the-art instrumentation lab also houses a Perkin-Elmer LS-50B Luminescence Spectrometer, Hewlett-Packard 8450 Diode Array Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometer, a Perkin-Elmer High Performance Liquid Chromatograph, and a Perkin-Elmer 8500 Gas Chromatograph, a visible microspectrophotometer, a Raman Spectrophotometer, and a microscope attachment for the FTIS.

Computer Lab

The recently constructed computer lab enables students to learn and study with cutting-edge software in preparation for successful careers in commercial and industrial labs. The facility is designed for the exclusive use of science majors and is equipped with software for molecular modeling (HyperChem), computation (MathCad and Mathematics), structure drawing (ChemWindows), plotting and curve fitting ( AXUM ), and word processing, spreadsheet and database use (Microsoft Office).

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility

Funded in part by the National Science Foundation, La Roche's NMR Facility houses two Anasazi Instruments 60 MHz Fourier-Transform Spectrometers, which have the capability of performing two-dimensional analysis and have multinuclear capability, including 1H, 13C, 31p, 19F, and 23Na. Our faculty is extensively experienced with NMR spectroscopy and provides students with skilled training that will prepare them for research and commercial labs upon graduation.