Shippensburg University’s Chemistry Department recently received new and improved lab equipment through an agreement with Shimadzu, an international instrument company.
The chemistry department says that in addition to enhancing the laboratory, the new instrumentation opens doors to future student internships and more detailed research outcomes.
“The partnership with Shimadzu has yielded a greatly modernized analytical lab, allowing us to develop lab activities and research projects that give our students hands-on experiences with state of the art instrumentation,” said Dr. Jeb Kegerreis, associate professor of physical chemistry.
On Oct. 16, Shimadzu hosted a series of events at Shippensburg University, including a Lunch n’ Learn catered by Ledo’s, an hour to network and ask questions about the new instruments and a seminar with Dr. Bob Clifford, Shimadzu’s general manager for marketing, titled “Decoding Food Aroma and Flavor: Advanced Analytical Techniques and Applications.” During the seminar, attendees learned more about the various applications of the equipment. Regional Manager Bruce Thompson and Sales Engineers Courtney Walsh and Norman Bach also spoke with students and faculty.
The new equipment supports several approaches to chemical analysis. High-performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, separates a sample’s components so they can be examined. When paired with mass spectrometry, the analysis can provide additional information that helps researchers identify compounds. Shimadzu explains the combined technique in its LC-MS overview.
Students are already using several pieces of the new equipment to study kombucha as a part of their analytical chemistry course. They’re using the Shimadzu LC-2050C 3D high-performance liquid chromatography system with photodiode array detection to analyze the kombucha’s sugar content, as well as the LC-2060C-3D high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry system to determine the caffeine content.
The lab now also has a Shimadzu RF-6000 fluorimeter. Fluorimeters measure fluorescence: the light a substance emits after absorbing light.
The new equipment from Shimadzu, along with the company’s visit to Shippensburg, provides students with greater opportunities to expand upon their knowledge and conduct advanced research in the lab.
