McMaster Chemistry: Emslie

Emslie Group - Techniques and Equipment

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Overview

Research in the Emslie group (as a whole) spans a range of subdisciplines, providing experience in transition metal and actinide chemistry, organometallic and coordination chemistry, main group chemistry and organic chemistry. The majority of this work is appreciably air sensitive, and the laboratory is set up to handle complexes at the extreme of air sensitivity. Complexes prepared in the group are investigated using a array of techniques, of which NMR spectroscopy, NIR, IR and UV-Visible spectroscopy, single crystal and powder X-ray crystallography, Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), elemental analysis, and DFT calculations are the most common.

- Air-sensitive inorganic synthesis._x
- Organic synthesis (ligand and reagent synthesis, catalysis)._x
- Techniques for handling air sensitive complexes (Glove box and Vacuum line techniques).For information on some specialized glove box applications, see: http://www.mbraunusa.com/mbraun-glovebox-applications.htm._x
- Inert-atmosphere solution electrochemistry (primarily cyclic voltammetry)._x
- Multinuclear (¹H, ²H, ¹¹B, ¹³C, ¹⁹F, ²⁹Si, ³¹P, ¹⁹⁵Pt etc.), VT, and 2D (COSY, HSQC, HMBC, ROSY, EXSY) NMR spectroscopy._x
- EPR spectroscopy (for selected paramagnetic compounds)._x
- UV-Visible, near-IR, IR and Fluorescence spectroscopy._x
- X-ray crystallography (single crystal and also powder XRD)._x
- DFT calculations (e.g. geometry optimization, fragment calculations, ETS-NOCV, Atoms in Molecules). _x

Major equipment in the Emslie group

Single-station MBraun glove box with large -35 ^oC freezer (MBraun) - used primarily for synthetic work

Double-station MBraun glove box with large -35 ^oC freezer (MBraun) - used primarily for electrochemistry

Double manifold argon/vacuum lines (x 10) with Chemglass valves and associated glassware

Inert atmosphere electrochemistry setup (with the capability to perform low temperature and high scan rate measurements): 283 PAR Potentiostat Galvanostat (EG&G), various electrochemistry cells, removable low temperature cold well in the glove box, Pt, GCE and Au electrodes, and Faraday cage (BASi)

Photochemical Reaction Assembly (ACE Glassware) with Quartz glassware, 450 W Power supply, Medium pressure mercury vapour lamp (450 W) with water-cooled quartz immersion well, and Photochemical reaction safety cabinet

GC-MS with chromatoprobe (Varian Saturn 2200)

4 Point Probe for Resistivity Measurement (Jandel Engineering)

Departmental and BIMR Facilities

The world-class departmental facilities at McMaster are essential to our research.
McMaster has a wide array of NMR spectrometers (2 x 200 MHz, 300 MHz, 2 x 500 MHz, 600 MHz, 700 MHz) which are routinely used to peform solution multinuclear, 2D and VT solution experiments. Our X-Ray facility is also extremely well equiped with a Mo diffractometer (Bruker Smart-Apex II CCD- typically used for inorganic compounds), a Cu diffractometer (Bruker Smart 2000 RA/CCD - typically used for organic compounds), and a powder diffractometer capable of running small angle X-ray scattering experiments.

The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research (BIMR) is also a valuable resource which is located in the same building as the Department of Chemistry. The BIMR was one of the first materials research institutes in North America and is equiped with a range of instrumentation (e.g. TGA, DSC, SQUID magnetometer, scanning probe microscopes etc.) to which researchers in chemistry have access.

For additional information, click on the links below:

NMR Spectroscopy X-Ray Crystallography

Mass Spectrometry BIMR

Emslie Laboratory Pictures

Brad Cowie using a swivel frit
Metal Deposition in Solution Screening Reaction

Kelly Motolko using the large glove box
Synthesis of PtCl2(COD) via H2PtCl6

Kris Kolpin using the lab 'super computer'
Quenching 50g Scale 9,9-Dimethylxanthene Prep

Carlos Cruz working at his Vac Line James Blackwell using one of the Vac Lines

Emslie working in the Electrochemistry Glove Box
Carlos doing Air-Free Electrochemistry

Carlos Cruz running our GC-MS
Synthesis Glove Box with assorted N2(l) Dewars

View down the lab towards the 2 glove boxes
Carlos purifying a starting material in a swivel frit

Brad Cowie using a swivel frit	Metal Deposition in Solution Screening Reaction
Kelly Motolko using the large glove box	Synthesis of PtCl2(COD) via H2PtCl6
Kris Kolpin using the lab 'super computer'	Quenching 50g Scale 9,9-Dimethylxanthene Prep

Carlos Cruz working at his Vac Line	James Blackwell using one of the Vac Lines
Emslie working in the Electrochemistry Glove Box	Carlos doing Air-Free Electrochemistry
Carlos Cruz running our GC-MS	Synthesis Glove Box with assorted N2(l) Dewars
View down the lab towards the 2 glove boxes	Carlos purifying a starting material in a swivel frit