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Instrumentation
The Chemistry Program is located in Hegeman Science Hall, which contains faculty offices, classrooms, and laboratories. The adjacent wing, the David Rose Science Laboratories, houses additional teaching, student, and research laboratories.
All students enrolled in chemistry courses are provided with extensive hands-on experience with a wide range of equipment and modern instrumentation. All our equipment is purchased and designed for use by our undergraduate students. It is available in undergraduate laboratories because these courses rarely contain over fifteen students in a lab section.
Varian 300 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer
Our multi-nuclear Varian 300 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer is used heavily in our organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry courses and in many senior research projects. It is used in the characterization and determination of the molecular structure of organic compounds and inorganic complexes in undergraduate labs, and faculty and student research projects. 
Agilent Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer
Our Agilent Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer finds heavy use in the organic lab and in many senior projects. The gas chromatograph is an instrument for the separation of minute quantities of volatile compounds. The vaporized material thus separated can be detected as it exits the GC by a variety of methods. Our instruments have thermal conductivity and flame ionization detectors as well as the most useful of detectors, the mass spectrometer (MS). The MS will identify each component of a mixture by its mass fragmentation pattern.
Thermo-Nicolet Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometers
The chemistry program has two Thermo-Nicolet Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometers. Our newest acquisition has SMART accessories including an ATR assembly that allows for quick and simple running of IR spectra. The IR spectrophotometers are used in the undergraduate labs and research projects in order to identify compounds or to determine the percentage of a compound present in a mixture.
Varian Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometer
The chemistry program has several Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometers that are used to identify compounds and to determine the concentration of a compound in solution. It is also used to follow the rate of a reaction in solution. We have single beam, double beam and multiple channel spectrophotometers that are amenable for solving different problems. These instruments find heavy use in most of our lab classes and research projects.
Polarograph
The Polarograph is commonly used to identify and measure the concentration of inorganic ions in solution. It is used in analytical labs and research projects.
Dionex High Performance Liquid Chromatograph
Our Dionex High Performance Liquid Chromatograph coupled with a diode array detector is used in analytical labs and research projects.
Magnetic Susceptibility Balance
Our Johnson Matthey Magnetic Susceptibility Balance allows for the determination of the magnetic susceptibility of paramagnetic compounds and therefore the determination of the number of unpaired electrons in a complex. It is used in the undergraduate labs and for research projects.
X-Ray Diffractometer
Bard College, in collaboration with Vassar College, have at its disposal a state-of-the state X-Ray diffactometer. This instrument is used in the determination of the molecular structure of organic, inorganic, and polymeric species. The instrument is equipped with a MonoCap X-ray waveguide that increases the collimated X-ray intensity by a factor of 2.5, an APEX II charge-couple device (CCD) detector with ten-fold better sensitivity than first generation CCD’s, and an Oxford liquid nitrogen cryostream. These features make the instrument useful for a large variety of samples, including tiny, weakly diffracting and air-sensitive materials. The instrument is installed at Vassar and Bard students have access to it for research and education purposes.
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