1. UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (UV)

Brief Description

UV-Vis spectrophotometer is one of the most frequently used structural characterization techniques. Molecules containing π-electrons or non-bonding electrons (n-electrons) can absorb the energy in the form of ultraviolet or visible light to excite these electrons to higher anti-bonding molecular orbitals. The more easily excited the electrons (i.e. lower energy gap between the HOMO and the LUMO), the longer the wavelength of light it can absorb. There are four possible types of transitions (π-π*, n-π*, σ-σ*, and n-σ*), and they can be ordered as follows: σ-σ* > n-σ* > π-π* > n-π*.

Applications

Qualitative analysis and quantitative determination of UV/Vis active analytes, namely, organic compounds, biological macromolecules, etc.

User Instructions

Sample must be pure and all contaminants must be removed.
Sample weight should be minimum 5 mg for solid samples and 5 ml for liquid samples
Solvent used for dissolution should be specified and the user should provide the same for blank determination if the solvent is rare and costly.

2. Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectrometer (FTIR)

Brief Description

Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) involves the interaction of infrared radiation with matter. It covers a range of techniques, mostly based on absorption spectroscopy. As with all spectroscopic techniques, it can be used to identify and study chemicals. Samples may be solid, liquid, or gas. The method or technique of infrared spectroscopy is conducted with an instrument called an infrared spectrometer to produce an infrared spectrum. An IR spectrum can be visualized in a graph of infrared light absorbance (or transmittance) on the vertical axis vs. frequency or wavelength on the horizontal axis. Typical units of frequency used in IR spectra are reciprocal centimeters (sometimes called wave numbers), with the symbol cm⁻¹.

Applications

Determination of the functional groups present in compounds, Determination of molecular structure and to follow the course of chemical reactions.

User Instructions

Sample must be pure and all contaminants must be removed.
Sample weight should be around 2mg for solid samples, 2ml for liquid
For film samples, square specimen of approximately 1x1 cm2 is required

3. Analytical Gel Permeation Chromatograph / High Performance Liquid Chromatograph

Brief Description

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC; formerly referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography), is a technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. It relies on pumps to pass a pressurized liquid solvent containing the sample mixture through a column filled with a solid adsorbent material. Each component in the sample interacts slightly differently with the adsorbent material, causing different flow rates for the different components and leading to the separation of the components as they flow out the column.

Applications

Purity assay
Analytical separation and Estimation of components of mixtures
Molecular weight determination using Gel Permeation Chromatography

User Instructions

Sample volume should be around 2 ml (adequately concentrated solution)
Provide standards together with HPLC samples for identification and quantification
Specify the method (mobile phase, detector, flow rate, temperature, etc)

4. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC)

Brief Description

Differential scanning calorimetry, or DSC, is a thermoanalytical technique in which the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. Both the sample and reference are maintained at nearly the same temperature throughout the experiment. Generally, the temperature program for a DSC analysis is designed such that the sample holder temperature increases linearly as a function of time. The reference sample should have a well-defined heat capacity over the range of temperatures to be scanned.

Applications

Determination of heat flow associated with phase transitions or reactions such as melting, crystallization, glass transition, curing, sorption, etc.
Determination of crystallinity, degree of curing, heat capacity, crystalline impurities, etc.
Oxidative stability, Polymorphism.
Determination of weak thermotropic changes using MDSC analyzing reversible and irreversible thermal changes.

User Instructions

10-30 mg Sample is required for analysis
Required temperature range and the heating rate should be specified
Give details about the decomposition products associated with heating cycle of your sample.
Samples likely to react with the sample holder materials (Al, Pt) will not be accepted for Thermal Analysis
Explosive, poisonous samples and samples giving rise to toxic gases on heating cannot be accepted for Thermal Analysis

5. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC)

Brief Description

Differential Scanning Calorimetry is one of the most frequently used thermal characterization techniques. In this technique the difference in energy input into a sample and a reference material is measured as a function of temperature, while the sample and reference material are subjected to a controlled temperature program.

Applications

Determination of heat flow associated with phase transitions or reactions such as melting, crystallization, glass transition, curing, sorption, etc.
Determination of crystallinity, degree of curing, heat capacity, crystalline impurities, etc.
Oxidative stability, Polymorphism

User Instructions

10-30 mg Sample is required for analysis
Required temperature range and the heating rate should be specified
Give details about the decomposition products associated with heating cycle of your sample.
Samples likely to react with the sample holder materials (Al, Pt) will not be accepted for Thermal Analysis
Explosive, poisonous samples and samples giving rise to toxic gases on heating cannot be accepted for Thermal Analysis

6. Simultaneous Differential thermal analysis and Thermo gravimetric analysis (DTA-TGA)

Brief Description

In differential thermal analysis, the temperature difference between a reactive sample and a non-reactive reference is determined as a function of time, providing useful information about the temperatures, thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions. Thermogravimetric analysis determines the weight gain or loss of a condensed phase due to gas release or absorption as a function of temperature. In combined DTA-TGA (simultaneous thermal analysis: STA) system both thermal and mass change effects are measured concurrently on the same sample (DTA, TG, DTG). The main concern in the design of these instruments is extracting the thermocouple signals without interfering with the free float of the balance.

Applications

Measures both weight changes & enthalpy changes associated with transitions and reactions in a material as a function of temperature (or time) under a controlled atmosphere
Thermal stability of the materials and their compositional analysis.
Differentiates endothermic and exothermic events, which are not associated weight change (e.g. melting and crystallization) from those which involve weight changes (e.g. degradation).

User Instructions

Provide test material code, nature and chemistry
10-30 mg Sample is required for analysis
Required temperature range and the heating rate should be specified
Give details about the decomposition products associated with heating cycle of your sample.
Samples likely to react with the sample holder materials (Al, Alumina, Pt) will not be accepted for Thermal Analysis
Explosive, poisonous samples and samples giving rise to toxic gases on heating cannot be accepted for Thermal Analysis

7. Texture Analyser

Brief Description

Texture analysis is the mechanical testing of food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives and other consumer products either in compression or in tension. Texture Analysers assess textural properties by capturing force, distance and time data at a rate of up to 500 points per second. Samples are either placed on the base of the texture analyser or held between two suitable fixtures. In a simple test, the arm of the texture analyser containing a loadcell moves down to penetrate or compress the product, and then returns to its initial position.

Applications

Mechanical testing of films/tissues (Compression and tension)
Tests fracturability, mucoadhesiveness, gel strength, peel strength, burst strength, etc.
Consistency measurements of emulsions, creams and gels, adhesiveness of patches, etc.

User Instructions

Exact nature of the sample, required parameters should be mentioned
Explosive and poisonous samples cannot be analyzed

8. Confocal Raman Microscope with Atomic Force Microscope Accessory

Brief Description

The Raman effect is based on light interacting with the chemical bonds of a sample. Due to vibrations in the chemical bonds the interaction with photons causes specific energy shifts in the back scattered light that appear in a Raman spectrum. The Raman spectrum is unique for each chemical composition and can provide qualitative and quantitative information of the material. Confocal Raman microscopy is a high-resolution imaging technique that is widely used for the characterization of materials and specimens in terms of their chemical composition. No labeling or other sample preparation techniques are necessary. By combining confocal Raman imaging with AFM, the chemical properties of the sample can be easily linked with the surface structure.

Applications

Determination of chemical structure of molecules by Micro Raman Spectroscopy
Confocal Raman Spectroscopy imaging (hyperspectral image generation with information of complete Raman Spectrum at pixel level).
Chemical mapping of distribution of components in a mixture by Raman imaging and depth profiling, e.g., drug in excipients/tablets, drug eluting stent coatings, live cell imaging etc.
Atomic Force Microscopy – Acquisition of AFM contact and AFM AC (non-contact) mode images. Surface topography on the nanometer scale. Lateral resolution up to 1nm. Depth resolution < 0.3 nm.

User Instructions

Sample Size should be Min. 120 mm in X- and Y-direction, 25 mm in height
Nature of the sample has to be mentioned
50-100 mg sample (solid/liquid) is required

9. Fluorescent Microscope

Brief Description

A fluorescence microscope is an optical microscope that uses fluorescence instead of, or in addition to, reflection and absorption to study properties of organic, inorganic and biological samples. The specimen is illuminated with light of a specific wavelength which is absorbed by the fluorophores, causing them to emit light of longer wavelengths. The illumination light is separated from the much weaker emitted fluorescence through the use of spectral emission filters.

Applications

Quick and easy screening of fluorescent samples
Live cell imaging

User Instructions

Samples having photobleaching nature cannot be analysed.
Samples should have sufficient fluorescent intensity

10. Multifunctional Microplate Reader

Brief Description

Microplate Reader is used to detect biological, chemical or physical events of samples in microtiter plates. They are widely used in research, drug discovery, bioassay validation, quality control and manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry. Common detection modes for microplate assays are absorbance and fluorescence intensity.

Applications

Fluorescence Intensity and Absorbance measurements with microplates
Fluorescence and Absorbance scan with microplates

User Instructions

Nature of the sample and solvent should be mentioned
Spectral parameters details should be provided

11. Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Nanobalance

Brief Description

Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Nanobalance can serve as an extremely sensitive device for measurements of very small mass changes, from sub-nanogram quantities to 100 micrograms. The gold working electrode is in the form of a thin film, and is placed on one side of a quartz single crystal wafer which oscillates in the shear mode at nominal 10 MHz frequency. Any change in the mass rigidly attached to the working electrode results in the change of the quartz crystal oscillation frequency. The frequency shift is measured by the instrument and converted to mass units.

Applications

Piezoelectric nanogravimetry for the measurement of mass changes on an electrode surface in the range of ng/cm2
Detection of atomic monolayers forming on the surfaces
Study of interfacial processes occurring at or near the electrode surface such as surface adsorption or desorption
Study of protein interfacial behaviours and adsorption behaviour of biologically active molecules

User Instructions

Exact nature of the sample should be mentioned

12. Luminescent Image Analyser

Brief Description

By using wide variety of light sources and optical filters fluorescence and luminescence of the samples especially biological samples can be quantified.

Applications

Multipurpose CCD camera system for sensitive and quantitative imaging of membranes, gels, small animals, colony counting, etc.

User Instructions

Nature of the sample should be mentioned
Details of the spectral parameters are required

13. Rapid Visco Analyser

Brief Description

The RVA is a viscometer with ramped temperature and variable shear capability optimized for testing the viscous properties of different types of samples. However, it is important to highlight its versatility due to its capability of analyzing the viscosity in heating-cooling cycles.

Applications

For the determination of solution viscosity of biopolymers
Stirring viscometer with ramped temperature and changeable shear capability for the testing of viscous properties of starch, alginate, chitosan, hydrocolloids, proteins, etc.

User Instructions

Thermal stability of the sample should be mentioned
Required temperature should be mentioned

14. Environmental chamber

Brief Description

An environmental chamber is an enclosure used to test the effects of specified environmental conditions on biological items, industrial products, materials, and electronic devices and components.

Applications

Aging/stability studies in specified environmental conditions
Accelerated ageing/stability studies
Shelf life estimation

User Instructions

Nature of the sample should be mentioned
Explosive and poisonous samples cannot be submitted
Exact stimulating conditions should be mentioned

15. High Performance Liquid Chromatograph

Brief Description

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) can be used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. It relies on pumps to pass a pressurized liquid solvent containing the sample mixture through a column filled with a solid adsorbent material. Each component in the sample interacts slightly differently with the adsorbent material, causing different flow rates for the different components and leading to the separation of the components as they flow out the column.

Applications

Analytical separation of individual chemical compounds from complex mixtures
Identification and quantification of compounds

User Instructions

Solvent for mobile phase should be mentioned or solubility of compound in volatile solvent
MS-DS (Material Safety Data Sheet) should be given along with samples to ensure that there sample being given. Samples should not be toxic or hazardous. Samples will not be accepted unless MS-DS
Fluorine solvent and Halo acids cannot be used for analysis