Chemistry Department Receives New Equipment

August 17, 2004. The Chemistry Department received an Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) as gift from the European Union. The new machine is worth $ 35,000 and it will identify the nature and components of substances whether liquid, gas, or solids. Another gift from the Arab International Student Aid, is a Gas Chromatography (GC) worth $ 30,000. It will determine the concentration of liquid, gas, or solids in the items identified by the FTIR. Both pieces of equipment complement each other.

With the new equipment, students in the Chemistry Department can analyze medicine tablets, and can tell if the medicine meets the standards acceptable for human consumption. Students in the Industrial Chemistry Minor can analyze chemical products such as detergents, shampoo, cosmetics, and can determine if it meets certain specifications and the effect it may have on human beings.

Moreover, faculty researchers can analyze the structure of plants and may find components suitable as medicine.

The two pieces of equipment are the latest technology in the field, fully computerized, fast, and heavy duty. Training on such equipment will make it easier for Chemistry Department graduates to find jobs in industrial chemistry or medical laboratories.