Chemistry Accessible Tour

Chemistry Atrium

A spacious, open-plan room, with blue sofas at either end and a matching ceiling. Glass meeting rooms and staff offices look into the atrium on either side. Opposite the entrance is a staircase leading to the labs.

Welcome to the Chemistry Building. Officially opened in 2016, over £30 million has been spent on facilities since 2013. The building is divided into three main sections - research, teaching and industry. Academics in the Department roughly divide into 3 main groups of expertise - synthetic (organic, inorganic, and materials), physical, analytical, and theoretical/computational.

The main reception area is a great hub for student socialising and collaboration. From the foyer, students can easily reach academic and teaching support staff.

Computational Lab

A small, brightly-lit lab filled with banks of computers. The glass walls look out onto the corridors and staff offices on either side.

Computational/theoretical chemistry is an important part of any modern chemistry degree. A discipline of its own (like ‘organic’ or ‘physical’), it has applications across all other fields of chemistry. It is also an integral part of modern chemistry research.

The fundamentals are taught throughout a degree here at Lancaster, starting with the basics of quantum chemistry, to the intricacies of electronic structure theory and molecular dynamics, with practical computer classes forming an important part.

It involves using computers to solve the underlying physical equations that control the behaviour of electrons and nuclei, or on a slightly larger scale, between different atoms and molecules. This predicts the properties and behaviours of chemical systems.

B Floor Social Space

A small, cosy-looking area with a selection of low chairs and high barstool-style chairs looking out onto the campus. There is a bookshelf of chemistry books situated on one side.

Light and airy space is available for study, relaxation and socialising. In the B Floor social space, you'll find a communal kitchen with fridge, microwave, and both cold filtered/boiling water tap nearby for frequent refreshment breaks.

Physical and Analytical Lab

A large and well-lit lab with banks of high desks for conducting experiments on, equipped with plug sockets and gas taps. At either end are a collection of fume cupboards.

This is the Physical and Analytical Laboratory, which is designed to flexibly accommodate up to 60 students learning practical chemistry in these fields, focusing on the characterisation and analysis of substances. It also involves experiments designed to illustrate the fundamental physical laws that govern the behaviour of molecules and materials.

Physical and Analytical Research Lab

A working lab, full of active experiments and research equipment. A fume hood can be seen on one side, with an experiment running within it.

These work areas and dedicated labs are for research students and staff working in general areas of physical and analytical chemistry.

A broad range of research is undertaken here, such as reverse-engineering the properties of spider’s silk, solar energy harvesting, battery design, the study of major diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart attacks, and strokes, the design of new energy storage materials, and the study of microplastic contaminants in the environment.

Synthetic Lab

A bay located within a larger lab, with a single row of benches for conducting experiments on. On either side of these benches are a number of fume hoods.

An important part of a chemistry degree involves learning practical synthetic skills; the design and ‘building up’ of new molecules starting from simpler ones.

This lab is designed for students to safely gain practical experience in a broad range of synthetic chemistry throughout our degrees. It’s equipped with three bays, each accommodating up to 20 students (for 60 in total), all working in fume hoods.

We ensure that our students learn about the importance of safety and working confidently with hazardous substances, particularly in the context of chemical synthesis.

Research Lab

A small lab, filled with equipment actively being used in experiments. There are a number of fume hoods along the back wall, each with ongoing experiments inside.

This lab is primarily used by research students and staff in synthetic chemistry - particularly those building/synthesising new molecules and materials. There’s an enormous range of applications of synthetic chemistry actively researched here at Lancaster, ranging from drug discovery (e.g. making new types of bioactive molecules) to materials/polymer chemistry (e.g. developing biodegradable plastics and molecular devices). Most of the work is done in fume hoods, to ensure a safe working environment for all when dealing with hazardous substances.

Fume hoods

A fume hood with an active experiment taking place within it.

Fume hoods:

Chemical fume hoods are one of the most reliable engineering controls in a laboratory. They protect both those directly undertaking lab activities, as well as other lab occupants and the broader environment. They work by containing and removing any substances that could be inhaled by a continual air current flowing into the hood, and then dispersing out high into the atmosphere via a powerful exhaust system.

Communal area

A door leading out of the lab.

On the other side of this lab, there is a dedicated study area for research students to conduct desk work. This area also has a social space which includes a communal kitchen.

Mass Spectrometry Lab

A lab with a square table set in the middle, with desks around the side housing a variety of equipment including ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph machines.

Mass spectrometry (usually ‘mass spec’) is a commonly used technique which is likely to be studied at A level. It allows the mass of the constituent components of a sample to be accurately determined. This information can then be used alongside other spectrometry techniques, such as NMR and IR, to determine the chemical constituents and structure of a sample.

Over £1.5 million has been spent on mass spec equipment, housed throughout the Department. The facility is used both across the Department and by external companies.

Mass Spectrometry Machine

A large mass spectrometry machine housed in its own room, with chromatography machines situated at one side. A computer is in the corner to allow lab workers to record results.

The group of grey boxes house chromatography equipment which takes complex mixtures and separates them out into different components, which are then analysed by mass spectrometry to identify what they comprise.

NMR Solid State Lab

A small room with a door connecting to the NMR Liquid State Lab. Behind an alarmed glass door is the NMR Solid State spectrometer.

Solid-state NMR is a research-oriented technique that we have particular specialism in here at Lancaster, with a 700 MHz machine costing around £1 million.

Although NMR experiments are usually carried out on liquids, sometimes it is necessary to study compounds as solids. This can be because they are insoluble (e.g. glasses, minerals, some polymers) or because we want to know their solid-state structure or function. Solid-state NMR is more complicated and requires separate spectrometers with higher magnetic fields. Academics at Lancaster are using solid-state NMR to study a variety of materials including battery electrodes and insoluble proteins linked to heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Solid-state NMR spectrometers

A large metal chamber with steps leading to the top, situated in its own room just off the NMR Solid State Lab.

The magnets for solid-state NMR spectrometers are much larger because a higher field is needed for the experiments. The 700 MHz magnet at the front of the lab is up to 2000 times stronger than a classroom bar magnet. Despite the large size of the magnet, only 50-100 mg of sample is required for an experiment. The larger the magnetic field, the bigger the impact of the magnet on the samples, and the more readily different chemical environments can be probed.

NMR Liquid State Lab

A small lab with a number of desks and computers, and three NMR Liquid State spectrometers.

"This is the big magnet show room where compounds are analysed by NMR spectroscopy. NMR is the ‘workhorse’ characterisation technique of the synthetic chemist and is a key tool for understanding the structures of chemical compounds. NMR works by detecting radiofrequency signals from atomic nuclei within a magnetic field.

A chemistry degree at Lancaster involves both the use, application and interpretation of NMR spectra in practical situations, and also learning the fundamental theory behind it; how large magnetic fields can affect molecules, and how this information can then be used to probe the structure of a molecule, determining if they have successfully synthesised a new molecule.

NMR spectrometers

A smaller-scale NMR spectrometer, situated at one end of the NMR Liquid State Lab.

An NMR spectrometer houses a giant coil, cooled by liquid He (~4 K) so that it superconducts, to generate a huge magnetic field. This allows samples to experience a magnetic field many times larger than the Earth’s. The white modules are superconducting magnets which provide the magnetic field for the NMR experiments. Samples are arranged in an automated loader on top of the magnet so that experiments can be run 24 hours a day.