Facilities and services
The School offers a wide range of cutting-edge research and support facilities which are available to researchers within the School, as well as external academic and industrial researchers.
ScotCHEM
Applications to use the School's facilities are welcome from the ScotCHEM chemistry departments, who enjoy the same access privileges as St Andrews researchers.
You can search the chemistry facilities available at other Scottish universities on the ScotCHEM Facilities Database. Advice on Scotland's specialist facilities is available from Interface.
Business outreach
The School of Chemistry welcomes approaches from local, Scottish, UK and global enterprises to collaborate on research projects and grant applications. The School also welcomes requests to use their extensive analytical services. See the business outreach page for more information.
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Biomedical Sciences Research Complex mass spectrometry and proteomics facility (not solely School of Chemistry instruments)
- A Waters LCT ESI mass spectrometer and 2795 HPLC with Photodiode Array Detector. This instrument is used for intact protein mass analysis and small molecule analysis by infusion and LC-MS (hands-on).
- A Thermo LCQ Fleet, a 3D quadrupole ion trap with ESI interface and Dionex u3000 HPLC. This LCMS instrument is used for analysis of small molecules and peptides with the MSn capabilities aiding structural identification (hands-on).
- An ABSciex 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF Analyser. This instrument is predominantly used to identify proteins by analysis of proteolytic digests (normally trypsin) by MS and MSMS fragmentation. PTMs and other modifications can also be observed and mapped by interpretation of the MSMS fragmentation patterns. The instrument is also used for intact protein mass analysis and some polymer and small molecule analysis.
- An ABSciex 5600+, ESI MSMS mass spectrometer and Eksigent nanoflow HPLC. This MSMS instrument is used for the analysis of proteolytic digests of complex mixtures or low concentration samples and can be used for identification of proteins, their point mutations, and post-translational modifications. It is also used for quantitative proteomic techniques such as iTRAQ and SWATH.
- Genomic Solutions, ProGest and ProPrep, in-gel digestion robots. These instruments carry out automated in-gel proteolytic digests from 1 and 2D SDS-PAGE bands and spots.
Contact
Dr Sally Shirran
Email: ss101@st-andrews.ac.uk
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The School of Chemistry has access to a local St Andrews HPC cluster with 3520 cores for high-performance computing. Most commonly used simulation and visualisation programs are available.
Contact
Dr Herbert Früchtl
Email: herbert.fruchtl@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44(0) 1334 46 7261 or +44(0) 1334 46 3750For other matters please contact the School Computing Officer:
Mr Fraser Kirk
Email: frk2@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44(0) 1334 46 3830 -
The School of Chemistry provides St Andrews researchers and the wider academic and industrial communities with access to a range of scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEMs and TEMs).
The facility houses two SEMs equipped with X-ray energy dispersive spectrometers (EDS) for imaging and compositional analysis. A dual column FEI Scios SEM and focused ion beam (FIB) instrument provides high-resolution imaging of surface and subsurface features, site-specific TEM sample preparation, 3D reconstructions and fabrication of nanostructures. This instrument also allows concurrent compositional and crystallographic analysis through the combination of EDS and electron back-scatter diffraction EBSD.
A JEM 2011 TEM is available for conventional TEM imaging and diffraction while a probe-corrected Titan Themis STEM/TEM equipped with EDS and an electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS) allows imaging at a resolution of 0.08nm, electron diffraction, tomography and elemental analysis.
Contact
Dr David Miller
Email: dnm7@st-andrews.ac.uk
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Continuous wave EPR is available on a Bruker EMXplus spectrometer at X-band (9.5 GHz) with variable temperature capability (4 K – 500 K) and special holders for aqueous liquid samples (flat cell and AquaX).
Pulse EPR is available on a Bruker Elexsys E580 spectrometer at X-band (9.5 GHz) with a cryogen free variable temperature cryostat (1.5 K – 300 K) and ELDOR (two microwave frequencies), ENDOR (radiofrequency excitation) and AWG (arbitrary waveform excitation) upgrades.
Contact
Dr Bela Bode
Email: beb2@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3869For more information on EPR research and applications in St Andrews, please visit the Bode EPR lab website.
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The Electronics workshop collaborates with academic, research and teaching staff to provide a technical service.
The Electronics Workshop provides the following technical services:
- Electrical and Electronic Instrument maintenance, test and repairs.
- Electromechanical equipment maintenance and repairs.
- Routine Portable Appliance Safety Testing (P.A.T.)
- Provides advice and guidance on a range Electrical and Electronic projects and issues.
- Design & Construction of custom Laboratory Equipment.
- Integrate the design of mechanical requirements with Electronics.
- Interface instruments to computer systems and computer-based equipment.
The Electronics workshop has a Stock of Electronic Components & Consumables – cables, connectors etc
The range of Electronic test equipment includes oscilloscopes, multi-meters, waveform generators, power supplies etc
Contact
Visit the Electronics Workshop room 104j/205a in the Purdie Building adjacent to the Chemistry Mechanical Workshop.
Brian Walker
Email: bw2@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3797 -
London Metropolitan University can only analyse for 4 Elements - carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur.
You can send samples to the elemental analysis service at London Metropolitan University by following these steps:
- Fill out the standard order form requesting elemental analysis, stating the number of samples and grant code to be charged. Submit to Linda Brannan (Purdie Building, Room 214). Stable samples are £13 and air sensitive samples are £20.
- Once the office generate an order number, note this on the Elemental analysis order form (Word) together with other requested information.
- Pack your samples appropriately and post them (with the form) to the address given on the form.
Results will be communicated by email, usually within a few days.
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For ICP analysis, most metals and other inorganic materials are fine to run ICP-analysis on. However, the School does not do organic, highly toxic or radioactive materials.
- ICP: Thermo Fisher Scientific ICP-OES iCAP 6000 Series – Elemental analysis of samples dissolvable in nitric acid. Instrument detection range: 0.01ppm – 5ppm
- Agilent 7500 series ICP-MS spectrometer Solution: aqueous or organic matrix
- UV/Vis: Jasco V650 – for solid or liquid samples
- Perkin Elmer Lambda 35 UV/VIS spectrometer
- FTiR: Shimadzu IRAffinity 1S IR Spectrometer – for solid or liquid samples
Contact
Visit the spectroscopic analysis team to discuss any sample analysis you need done. They are located in room 217 in the Purdie Building (through the PXRD room on level 2).
Dr Gavin Peters
Email: gsp@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3697 -
Glass-blowing repairs and orders are now dealt with by Scott Glass Ltd in Stirling. Please contact Scott Glass for glass-blowing repairs and orders.
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The Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Accurate mass service offers mass spectrometry measurements to within 5ppm on the following instruments. Samples are by submission to the service only. Please contact Caroline Horsburgh for enquiries (cerh@st-andrews.ac.uk).
- Thermo Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Ionisation techniques available are ESI (pos and neg) APcI (pos and neg) ASAP (pos).
- Micromass GCT mass spectrometer with solids probe. Ionisation techniques available are EI and CI.
Mass spectrometry form (PDF)
Contact
Mrs Caroline Horsburgh
Email: cerh@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3790 -
Purdie Building room 104k and room 205a
Contact
Mr Jack Bremner
Email: jb339@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3798 -
- Sodick high speed 5 axis milling machine - https://www.sodi-techedm.co.uk/high-speed-milling/uh650l/
- Sodick die sinking edm - https://www.sodi-techedm.co.uk/high-speed-milling/ad35l/
- Sodick wire edm - https://www.sodi-techedm.co.uk/precision-wire-edm/vl400q/
- Haas cnc turning center - https://www.haas.co.uk/lathes/st-10/
- Harding cnc machining center - https://www.hardinge.com/product/milling/gx-series/
We also have facilities to do manual turning and milling as well as surface and cylindrical grinding.
We can also have consultations to help design parts using autodesk inventor with researchers or students.
And use autodesk feature Cam software to make complex computer programs to run some of the machines on.We currently also offer a welding and fabrication service including sheet metal cutting and bending.
In whole we can provide the complete engineering package from start to finish.
Contact
Mr Mark Robertson
Email: msfr@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3191 -
The School currently has six powder x-ray diffractometers. The current facility comprises:
- three PANalytical Empyrean diffractometers
- a Rigaku Miniflex diffractometer operating in reflection geometry
- two Stoe diffractometers operating in transmission, capillary, mode.
Please consult the powder diffraction website for additional information.
Contact
Dr Oxana Magdysyuk
Email: om85@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3814 -
Perkin Elmer System 2000 (FT)
Contact
Professor J.D. Woollins
Email: jdw3@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3861 -
The Scottish Centre for Interdisciplinary Surface Spectroscopy (SCISS) is a collaborative centre established in 2008 at the University of St Andrews by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), through an SRDG grant (£1.65 million SFC, and £0.95 million University of St Andrews). It focuses on real and momentum-space resolved electron spectroscopies applied to complex materials.
SCISS brings together six research groups from the University of St Andrews to form a cluster of excellence in solid state physics, solid state chemistry, and characterisation of functional materials. Their competences are multidisciplinary and cover:
- correlated electron physics
- heterogeneous catalysis
- molecular electronics
- density functional theory
- graphene
- topological phases
- supramolecular architectures
- and much more.
The SCISS laboratories are located both at the School of Chemistry and the School of Physics and Astronomy, and host a variety of state-of-the-art instruments such as STM/AFM, ARPES, and XPS. See more details on SCISS facilities. They also make use of national and international synchrotron facilities (for example, Diamond), as well as national super-computing facilities (for example, Archer).
Contact
Renald Schaub
Email: rs51@st-andrews.ac.uk -
The Chemical Crystallography suite currently has the following systems:
- Rigaku FRX (dual port) high brilliance rotating anode generator, Mo radiation, with two Dectris Pilatus P200 detectors, Oxford Cobra and DTC LT accessories, one port able to run in an automated mode using STANDARD (the St Andrews Automated Robotic Diffractometer)
- Rigaku MM007 HF (dual port) high brilliance rotating anode generator, Cu radiation, with Dectris Pilatus P200 and P100 detectors, Oxford Cobra and SmartStream LT accessories
- Rigaku SCX Mini, sealed tube generator, SHINE Optic, Mo Radiation, with Mercury CCD detector and Oxford DTC LT accessory
Contact
Dr David Cordes
Email: dbc21@st-andrews.ac.uk (preferably by email in the first instance)
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3874Dr Aidan McKay
Email: apm31@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0)1334 467280For X-ray structure determination, please bring your crystals to Dr Cordes (427) or Dr McKay (428). Generally, do NOT remove them from solvent if they were grown in solvent. The X-Ray Submission Form (Word) will need to be completed, but this can be done after the crystals are evaluated.
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A solid-state NMR service is available with access to 400 MHz HFXY and 600 MHz Bruker Avance III spectrometers. The service has implemented a wide range of double and triple-resonance experiments. In addition to routine experiments, the service has fast MAS (up to 40 kHz on the 400 MHz machine and 60 kHz on the 600 MHz machine) and variable-temperature capabilities.
Contact
Dr Daniel Dawson
Email: dmd7@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2273For more information on research in solid-state NMR at St Andrews, please refer to Professor Ashbrook's website.
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The department has six nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers for NMR spectroscopy of samples in solution.
The routine service work is served by three instruments:
- Bruker AV 300
- Bruker AV-III HD 400
- Bruker AV-II 400
All three low field instruments are equipped by BBFO probes that allow you to acquire spectra of any nuclei in the range of frequencies from 19F to 15N.
The department also has a Bruker AV-III HD 500 with four frequency channels and can be equipped with a wide portfolio of room temperature probes including BBFO+, BBI, 1.7mm 1H-13C-15N TXI and 1H-19F-BB TBO. It also has the capability of recording spectra at variable temperatures within the range from 200 to 370 K.
Other Bruker AV-III 500 and Bruker HD 700 instruments are both equipped with nitrogen-cooled Prodigy cryoprobes with direct observed (BBO) and inverse triple resonance geometry (TXI), respectively.
All six instruments are equipped with automatic sample changers and utilise a high level of automation that is controlled by in house developed NOMAD system.
See the NMR website.
Contact
Dr Tomas Lebl
Email: tl12@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 7264Dr Siobhan Smith
Email: srs9@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 7264 -
Stores are located on level 1 of the Purdie Building, Room 134.
Opening hours:
- 9am to 12pm
- 2pm to 4pm
Contact
Email: purdie-stores@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3784For more information please see the Chemistry stores website.
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The School currently has the following:
- UHV variable-temperature Omicron Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)
- UHV CreaTec low-temperature (4K) Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM with qPlus AFM) capable of single molecule electronic spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy and manipulation
- Four Molecular Imaging STM instruments, all of which work in ambient and electrochemical environments and are also capable of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
- Two further AFM instruments.
- UHV Nicolet FTIR with polarisation modulation (PM) and ATR attachment.
- Digilab FTIR system with Specac diffuse reflectance accessory and online Hiden QMS for DRIFTS/MS measurements on powder catalysts.
- Scienta X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) with monochromatic source.
- UHV High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (HREELS) system.
- UHV LEED/AES/TPD/high pressure cell and gas chromatograph.
- UHV quartz micro-balance system.
- Tensiometer for contact angle measurements.
Contact
Dr Steve Francis
Email: smf6@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2273 -
Thermogravimetric analysis
For thermal analysis (TG, DTA, DSC, DIL), materials should be tested in a high temperature furnace prior to analysis for reaction with alumina, Al2O3, as this is most often the crucible material.
- Netzsch STA 449C with Mass Spec: TGA/DTA or TGA/DSC under oxidising or reducing atmosphere to 1500°C, coupled to a Pfeiffer mass spectrometer (200amu) for evolved gas analysis.
- Stanton Redcroft STA-780 simultaneous TG-DTA: RT–1500°C, in oxidising or reducing atmosphere.
- Stanton Redcroft TG1000M: TGA (RT–1000°C) in air
- Netzsch Thermogravimetric Analyzer TG 209 (TGA): RT–900°C, oxidising or reducing atmosphere.
Differential scanning calorimetry
- Netzsch DSC 204 F1: range -180°C to 700°C, sensitivity: 3.2 μV/mW
Thermal expansion
- Netzsch Dilatometer DIL402C: oxidising or reducing atmosphere to 1500°C.
Porosimetry
- Hiden IGA porosimeter: gas and vapour adsorption, BET analysis.
- Micromeritics Accupyc 1340 series Gas Pycnometer: measures true density by gas displacement.
- Micromeritics ASAP 2020 Accelerated Surface Area and Porosimetry System
- Micromeritics Tristar ii Surface Area and Porosity Instrument with VacPrep 061 Degasser
Contact
Dr Gavin Peters gsp@st-andrews.ac.uk to discuss any sample analysis you need done.