Technological University of the Philippines

San Marcelino Street, Ayala blvd., Ermita, Manila

College of Science

Miayo, Dhoanne
Mustapha, Jamer Ian A.
BAS-LT4A
UNIT 3: Major Laboratory Instruments
A. Minimum requirements for a specific type of chemistry laboratory.
A chemistry laboratory is a room equipped for scientific experimentation or research
where scientists practice, observe and test materials. Its primary focus is to develop answers
to research questions both for energetic materials and other materials.
When building a certain type of chemistry laboratory, instruments/equipments must be
present. Laboratory instrument/equipment refers to the different tools and equipment used by
various personnel working in a laboratory. It is generally used in order to perform
an analysis and to take measurements and gather data.
Physical Chemistry Laboratories

Viscometer
A viscometer (also called viscosimeter) is an instrument used to measure
the viscosity of a fluid. For liquids with viscosities which vary with flow
conditions, an instrument called a rheometer is used. Viscometers only measures
under one flow condition.
Viscometers have wide and varied applications in the materials science
and chemical industries for materials such as oil, asphalt, plastics, wax, paints,
coatings, and adhesives. They are also used for food and beverages and personal-

care products such as cosmetics, shampoo, and toothpaste.

Calorimeter
A calorimeter is an object used for calorimetry, or the process of measuring the
heat of chemical reactions or physical changes as well as heat capacity, enthalpy
formation trends, phase stability, surface effect, etc.. Differential scanning

calorimeters, isothermal microcalorimeters, titration calorimeters and accelerated

rate calorimeters are among the most common types. A simple calorimeter just
consists of a thermometer attached to a metal container full of water suspended
above a combustion chamber.
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
1. UV-Vis spectrometer determines electronic structure of inorganic compounds (Band
structures)
2. Infrared Spectrometer can be used to identify certain functional groups in a sample
3. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) can be used in the analysis of the concentration
of a metal element.
4. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) can be used in indicating the degree of symmetry of
a ligand around a metal center as well as the electron environment of the nucleus being
probed.
Organic Chemistry Laboratory
1. Flash chromatography is a rapid form of column chromatography based upon an air
pressure driven hybrid of a medium and short column chromatography optimized for
rapid separation of organic compounds.
2. NMR can be used to the investigations of interactions between organic ligands and
transition metals and to acquire detailed information about the structure, dynamics,
reaction state, and chemical environment of molecules.
3. Rotary Evaporators are used to be an efficient and gentle remover of solvents used from
the samples by evaporation.
4. Gas Chromatography is used to separate and analyze organic compounds that can be
vaporized without decomposition.
5. Mass Spectrometer can be used in identifying unknown compounds, determining
the isotopic composition of elements in a molecule, and determining the structure of a
compound by observing its fragmentation.
6. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is used to separate, identify, and
quantify each component in an organic mixture.
7. UV-Vis Spectrophotometer is used to determine the highly conjugated organic
compounds.

Analytical Chemistry Laboratories

UV/VIS
Ultravioletvisible

spectroscopy or

(UV-Vis or UV/Vis)

refers

to absorption spectroscopy or reflectance spectroscopy in the ultravioletvisible spectral region. This means it uses light in the visible and adjacent ranges.
The absorption or reflectance in the visible range directly affects the
perceived color of the chemicals involved.
UV/Vis spectroscopy is routinely used in analytical chemistry for
the quantitative determination of different analytes, such as transition metal ions,
highly conjugated organic

compounds,

and

biological

macromolecules.

Spectroscopic analysis is commonly carried out in solutions but solids and gases
may also be studied.
A UV/Vis spectrophotometer may be used as a detector for HPLC. The
presence of an analyte gives a response assumed to be proportional to the
concentration. For accurate results, the instrument's response to the analyte in the
unknown should be compared with the response to a standard; this is very similar
to the use of calibration curves. The response for a particular concentration is

known as the response factor.

HPLC
High-performance

liquid

chromatography (HPLC), is

technique

in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in

a mixture. It relies on pumps to pass a pressurized liquid solvent containing the
sample mixture through a column filled with a solid adsorbent material. Each
component in the sample interacts slightly differently with the adsorbent material,
causing different flow rates for the different components and leading to the

separation of the components as they flow out the column.

Gas Chromatography
Gas chromatography (GC) is a common type of chromatography used
in analytical

chemistry for separating and

analyzing

compounds

that

can

be vaporized without decomposition. Typical uses of GC include testing the purity

of a particular substance, or separating the different components of a mixture. In
some situations, GC may help in identifying a compound. In preparative
chromatography, GC can be used to prepare pure compounds from a mixture.

GC/MS is also another useful method which can determine the

components of a given mixture using the retention times and the abundance of the
samples. This method may be applied to many pharmaceutical applications such
as identifying the amount of chemicals in drugs. Moreover, cosmetic
manufacturers also use this method to effectively measure how much of each

chemical is used for their products.

Analytical balances
The basic tool in all quantitative analyses is the analytical balance, used
for the accurate weighing of samples and precipitates. For usual analytical work
the balance should be able to determine differences in mass of 0.1 milligram
(about 0.000004 ounce). In microanalyses the balance must be about 1,000 times
more sensitive, and, for special work, balances of even higher sensitivity have
been constructed.

Other Laboratories

Nuclear Laboratories
o Gamma Spectrometer
o Gamma-ray spectroscopy is

the

quantitative

study

of

the energy

spectra of gamma-ray sources using gamma spectrometer, in such as the nuclear

industry, geochemical investigation, and astrophysics. Most radioactive sources
produce gamma rays, which are of various energies and intensities. When these
emissions are detected and analyzed with a spectroscopy system, a gamma-ray
energy spectrum can be produced.
A detailed analysis of this spectrum is typically used to determine the
identity and quantity of gamma emitters present in a gamma source, and is a vital
tool in radiometric assay. The gamma spectrum is characteristic of the gammaemitting nuclides contained in the source, just as in optical spectroscopy, the
optical spectrum is characteristic of the material contained in a sample.
o X-ray Spectrometer
The purpose of the X-Ray Spectrometer is to determine what elements are
present, and how abundant they are, on the very surface of Mercury. The XRS
only provides information about the uppermost 1 mm of Mercurys surface. XRS

data will be used to create a map of which elements are present and where they
occur. This will aid in the characterization of Mercurys chemical composition
and geologic history.
Forensic Chemistry Laboratory
1. Gas Chromatograph tandem with Mass Spectrometer is used to analyze Fire Debris
samples. The GCMS helps to identify ignitable liquids taken from possible arson sites
and items damaged from fire. Also used for drug testing.
2. HPLC is used for processing samples which are thermally unstable, such as explosives.
The HPLC is used because the instrument is not heated, processing at room temperature
keeps the chemical compounds from breaking down while processing. It is used the
HPLC to analyze caffeine contents for common beverages.
3. Infrared Spectrometer is used to differentiate between cocaine HCL (which is commonly
known as pure cocaine) and free base cocaine (which is commonly known as crack). It is
also used to view infrared data on non salt crystal samples such as fibers, explosives, and
paint chips.
4. Polarizing Light Microscope is used for viewing synthetic and natural fibers, such as
nylon and cross sections of wood and to view minerals and soil samples.
5. UV-Vis Spectrometer is used to determine the concentration of active compounds in drug
samples which absorb UV light. This instrument is used for chemicals which are only UV
reactive; other compounds would be tested using GCMSor HPLC.