The Research School of Chemistry boasts a large number of highly skilled technical staff and world-class research equipment and infrastructure. Each item of equipment has expert staff responsible for its maintenance and for training others in its use. Complementing the major items of equipment, the RSC has an in-house microanalytical services unit and single crystal X-ray diffraction facility. Research laboratories are also supported by mechanical, electronic, glassblowing and carpentry workshops.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

NMR has applications in all fields of the experimental sciences. It is the single most powerful technique available to chemists for studying the composition, structure and function of molecules. It is an important supplementary technique for many of the natural and life sciences including biological chemistry, macromolecular and surface science, medicine and physics.

The NMR Centre at the ANU is the most advanced in Australia, boasting equipment worth over eight million dollars and catering for over 100 staff and students in six Schools and Faculties. The ANU was a joint recipient of an Australian Research Council grant for the purchase of an 800 MHz NMR spectrometer and a cryoprobe. The Centre now has the most sophisticated and highest field (18.8 Tesla) NMR spectrometer in Australia. This complements six other spectrometers operating at field strengths between 4.7 and 14.1 Tesla.

Mass Spectrometry

Another key technique in many areas of chemistry is mass spectrometry. The ANU has three million dollars worth of state-of-the-art mass spectrometry equipment, including a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer, a VG-QUATTRO electrospray instrument, and GC/MS and high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry facilities. These give researchers across the ANU campus access to all of the latest analytical methods.

Micro analysis

The Microanalytical Unit accepts pure compounds for routine quantitative determination of elements and for molecular weight determination. Equipment includes an automatic analyser, Carlo Erba 1106, used for C, H and N analysis; flame and furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometers (AAS) used for metal detection; and a Dionex Ion Chromatography Analyser used for F and S analysis.

HPLC

The RSC has five full High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) systems, two of which are for general use and the other three are maintained within individual research groups. These HPLC systems allow students and staff to perform a wide range of procedures, including new method development, analysis of reaction mixtures and larger scale separation of products.

Library

The RSC Library collection contains over 400 current serials and over 22,000 monographs. Subjects covered include organic, inorganic, physical and theoretical chemistry with strengths in theoretical organic chemistry, coordination chemistry, solid state chemistry, chemical physics, and surface and colloid chemistry. The ANU library catalogue and a number of electronic journals are available online.

Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Unit

X-ray diffraction data can be used to determine the locations of all atoms within the unit cell of a crystal, and in this way the atom types, connectivity, and distances and angles within the constituent molecules can be established. X-ray diffraction data sets are collected on a Nonius Kappa-CCD area-detector diffractometer equipped with IFG capillary X-ray focusing collimators and an Oxford Cryosystems crystal cooling device. Computations are performed using maXus, Crystals and Raels software packages. Complex structures have been refined in non-standard ways to allow for twinning, stacking faults and composite space groups. External work is performed for such institutions as University College of the Australian Defence Force Academy, University of Adelaide, RMIT University and the South Australian Museum.

Glass blowing

Staff in this unit provide expertise and resources for the design, construction and repair of complex glass apparatus, together with advice on any aspect of construction, materials, or safety. The Unit continues to provide an impeccable service to research programs within the RSC and the wider ANU community, as well as undertaking work for external clients.

Unit Staff: Mr C.J. Tomkins and Mr P. Siu.

Computer Unit

The Computer Unit provide desktop and system support for all the desktop computers and servers used in the School. The servers provide email, file storage and web services and the capacity to run small computational jobs.

The ANU Super Computer Facility operates the high performance computers of the Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing National Facility, giving our researchers access to the most powerful computers in the southern hemisphere. This allows us to perform a range of complex computer calculations to model chemical reactions, particularly ones that are difficult to measure experimentally.