In addition, we have at our disposal research facilities at an adjacent building, the Solid State Institute (SSI), consisting of: facilities for ion implantation and ion beam analysis, equipment for surface studies by means of electron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry, equipment for evaluation of semiconductor devices and crystal growth. Several members of the academic staff of the Chemistry Department have established research laboratories at the SSI in the areas of optical spectroscopy and surface science.
Lasers, Spectroscopy and Molecular Beams
Various research groups in the Department study chemistry by lasers, utilizing them in a broad range of applications. Several powerful pulsed Nd:YAG lasers are available (up to 220MW/cm2), as well as N2 lasers (up to 2.5MW/cm2) and an Excimer laser. Some are equipped with harmonic generators and dye units for tuning the output wavelength. The available spectroscopic systems include classical and imaging spectrometers equipped with photomultipliers, Charged Coupled Devices (CCD's), Intensified Photodiode Array (IPDA) and Intensified CCD (ICCD) as detectors. These systems are utilized for molecular systems in solution and in supersonic molecular beams. Also available is a modulated beam mass spectrometer for studies of decay processes in isolated gas-phase molecules. A magneto-optical spectrometer which combines cryogenic systems, CW lasers, optical accessories and magnetic fields is utilized for studies of solid-state materials and devices.An industrial Near Infra Red (NIR) spectroscopic system is also available as well as a portable (PC plugged in) UV-Visible fiber optical spectrometer for environmental applications.
Synthetic Organic, Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry
Several advanced research laboratories focus on synthetic organic, inorganic, organometallic and catalysis chemistry. Gloveboxes, schlenk lines, high vacuum lines, greaseless vacuum lines, cryogenic spectrometry equipment, and cryoscopic molecular weight equipment for air-sensitive materials comprise some of the available equipment in these laboratories.Biology-Related Laboratories
Several research laboratories in the Department focus on biology-oriented projects. Specialized equipment present in these laboratories includes fully computerized FPLC and HPLC protein purification systems, lyophilizer, spectrophotometers, electrophoresis apparatus, X-ray diffractometer for for large molecules, triple-resonance solid-state NMR spectrometer, incubators, shakers, cold rooms and other equipment required for cell growth, purification and analysis of proteins.Located in close proximity, the Departments of Biology and of Food Engineering & Biotechnology offer supplementary facilities to the Chemistry Department for work on biology-oriented projects. This equipment includes: a variety of low- and high-speed centrifuges, high-speed ultracentrifuges, fully computerized FPLC and HPLC protein purification systems, fully computerized fermenters (2, 10 and 50 liters), incubators, ultra low temperature freezers and more.
The cutting-edge National Center for Protein and Peptides Microanalysis situated at the Department of Biology, offers the following services: sequencing, internal and external radioactive sequencing, mass spectrometry of proteins and peptides, synthetic peptides, libraries of proteins and peptides, 2D-gel electrophoresis, database searches and analysis. Several faculty members of the Chemistry Department are associated with this center.
Computer Facilities
The Department of Chemistry is one of the most active in the Technion in scientific computing and as such is a major consumer of the services of the Technion's central computer facilities, which include parallel computers (Silicon Graphics Power Challenge and a 8-processor Dec Alpha server) as well as several other powerful Unix stations. Large-scale computation may be performed in the recently established National Supercomputer Center, which offers access to two different supercomputers (Cray J932 and IBM SP2).The Departmental Computer Center is equipped with 4-processor DEC Alpha Server 4100 5/466, two Dec Alpha 600 5/266 workstations, and three DEC Ultrix workstations. Nine Silicon Graphics work-stations and dozens of X-terminals and personal computers are also available. Every office and laboratory in the department is connected via Ethernet to the Technion Local Area Network (LAN) and to the national and international networks and databases.
The Minerva Center for Computational Quantum Chemistryi, recently established in the Department of Chemistry, includes advanced computers, state-of-the-art computational software packages and other resources to support research in this fast-developing field of chemistry.
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Technical Facilities
The technical services are organized into well-equipped mechanical, electronic and glass-blowing units, as well as a support group for computer-related activities. These units are staffed by highly skilled engineers and technicians, who are responsible for all of the technical work carried out within the department. This includes the design and construction of new instrumentation, as well as maintenance of all scientific equipment.
Library
The Chemistry and Biology Library is located in the Chemistry Department Building. The library owns the complete collection of Chemical Abstracts, Beilstein and Gmelin as well as numerous encyclopedias, collective series and books. The library subscribes to more than 220 periodicals and owns a large collection of books dealing with a broad spectrum of topics in chemistry, biology, environmental science and related fields. A variety of on-line search services are available.
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