Equipment

Queen Mary Univesity of London is one of the largest multi-faculty colleges of the University of London with over 11,500 UK, European and international students studying in four faculties which include the School of Medicine and Dentistry. The School of Physics and Chemical Sciences comprises nearly 60 members of academic staff whose research interests cover the whole spectrum of phisics, biological and chemical sciences, with internationally-acclaimed work in fields including evolutionary biology, genetics, protein structure and function and molecular synthesis and catalysis.

The Group and School are well appointed with a vast range equipment and facilities.

Lyotrap Laboratory Freeze-dryer

This touchscreen-controlled bench-top Freeze-dryer model has an ice capacity of 5kg (3kg in 24hrs) and incorporates an electric defrost facility. All cycles are logged and can be downloaded via USB. Real-time graphical display of temperature and vacuum is included as standard and offers two minimum temperature options: -55°C and -85°C.

Agilent Cary 100 UV-Visible Spectrophotometer

The Cary 100 is a UV-visible spectrophotometer with a versatile set of accessories for routine laboratory work. It is controlled by the Cary WinUV software, a Windows-based software featuring an easy-to-use modular design. The instrument is equiped with liquid sample holders and a cary temperature controller.

MicroCal, LLC VP-ITC MicroCalorimeter

The MicroCal VP-ITC is isothermal titration calorimeter that offers the ability to investigate any biomolecular interactions. It uses the Isothermal Titration Calorimetry technique to measure the binding affinity and thermodynamic parameters involved in a variety of molecular interactions. It is fast, convenient, label free and in-solution technique which delivers the information needed to characterize the molecular interactions of biological ententies and the materials synthesised in laboratory.

Agilent 1220 Infinity II LC System / Agilent 1260 Infinity II LC System

The 1260 Infinity II LC, equipped with an automatic sampler, offers the widest choice of modules for analytical HPLC and UHPLC. This reliable instrument combined with latest column technologies and advanced supplies guarantees robust separation and detection performance. Easy column handling and superior sample logistics, from sample submission to data analysis, ensure fast turnaround times and highest instrument utilization. Thers is also the 1220 Infinity II LC which is rquires manual injection.

Agilent 1260 Infinity II GPC/SEC System

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) or size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is the technique of choice to characterize polymers. In conventional GPC/SEC, average molecular weights are calculated relative to the standards used to calibrate the column set. This instrument is a high-end multiple detector platform, which provides not only accurate molecular weight data independent of the chemistry of the standards, but also gives insight into the behavior of the polymer in solution.

Agilent Cary Eclipse Fluorescence Spectrophotometer

The Cary Eclipse is a computer-controlled fluorescence spectrophotometer with measurement modes for fluorescence, chemiluminescence, bioluminescence and time-resolved phosphorescence. It uses uses a Xenon flash lamp to measure the emission of light. With superior sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio and fast kinetics, it captures a data point every 12.5 ms and scans at 24,000 nm/min without peak shifts from 2200 to 900 nm.

Malvern Panalytacal Zetasizer Ultra

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is a non-invasive, well-established technique for measuring the size and size distribution of molecules and particles typically in the submicron region lower than 1nm. This technique is used in the characterization of particles, emulsions or molecules which have been dispersed or dissolved in a liquid. The Brownian motion of particles or molecules in suspension causes laser light to be scattered at different intensities. Analysis of these intensity fluctuations yields the velocity of the Brownian motion and hence the particle size using the Stokes-Einstein relationship.

KRUSS K100 / KRUSS K9

The premium force Tensiometer – K100 performs high-precision, automatic and reliable measurements of surface tension and interfacial tension, critical micelle concentration CMC and contact angle on solids, fibers and powders. With high-quality components and a uniquely wide range of methods, the instrument carries out many tasks in the field of surfactant analysis and wetting measurement for your quality assurance or research. A older version is also available, KRUSS K9.

Farfield AnaLight Bio200

Dual Polarisation Interferometry (DPI) technology is an analytical technique with the exquisite sensitivity to study structural changes taking placein molecular systems as they function and interact. It provides real-time, high-resolution measurements of molecular size, density and mass. The applications of AnaLight Bio200 include the study of interfacial behaviour during polymer, surfactant and protein interactions and, quantitative characterisation of surface nanostructures and complex layer formation.

Shimadzu IRSpirit with ATR insert

IRSpirit FTIR spectrophotometer is extremely compact and efficient. The QATR-S is a single-reflection ATR measurement attachment. The prism is made of diamond, so the measurement wavenumber range is up to 400 cm-1. It easily analyse both liquid and solid samples. Large samples can be measured without cutting. The incident angle is 45 degrees.

Facilities at SPBS-QMUL

Mass Spectrometry Laboratory

The laboratory is equipped with a number of mass spectrometry platforms to provide a range of analytical tests, including structural analysis of small molecules, protein identification, sequencing of peptides and proteins, lipidomics and metabolomics analysis, and absolute and relative quantification of biomolecules in complex matrices.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

The Transmission Electron Microscopy facility is dedicated to the ultra-structure analysis of a variety of biological samples.

Microscopy facility

Within the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, there are a number of microscopes available to support research, providing students and academic staff with access to high quality microscopy systems.

Zebrafish facility

The zebrafish (Daniorerio) is an established vertebrate model species used to explore development and gene function. The facility currently house a breeding room, behavioural observation room, a larger aquarium housing a nursery area and nine stand-alone units (Aquatic Habitats) with a total capacity to hold over 8000 fish.

NMR facility

Queen Mary’s high field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) service is equipped with one Bruker AV600 and two Bruker 400 MHz spectrometers. Solid-state NMR can also be provided by special request.