SwissFEL Chemistry Laboratory

A chemistry laboratory with lab coats, fume hoods and other scientific equipment
Two large fumehoods with various knobs and equipment inside
A sink with some scientific equipment
High accuracy weighing scales and a small spectrometer machine
Black knobs and gauges on a grey wall
The inside of a grey cold room with a desk and chair
5 blue and white pipettes hanging in their holders above 3 boxes of pipette tips
Two stainless steel incubators under a laboratory bench
A computer screen and keyboard next to a digital microscope
Rows of glass bottles of different sizes with blue plastic lids
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The main chemistry laboratory is used for the bulk of experiments at SwissFEL with several large bench spaces available to use.

The room is temperature controlled and, using black-out curtains on the main entrance door to the laboratory, the room can be utilised as a dark room for light sensitive experiments. Please note however that a separate purpose-built dark room is recommended for this purpose (see below).

The main chemistry laboratory has the following key infrastructure:

  • Two Scala Secuflow fume-hoods.
  • Supplies of deionised water and ultrapure water as well as a standard water supply.
  • A walk-in 4°C cold room
  • Multiple ports supplying nitrogen, helium, argon and compressed air. 

For a list of smaller devices and equipment, please see the comprehensive list here.

The Dark Room

A laboratory with a plastic anaerobic glove box and some cabinets

The Dark Room is available for experiments when light contamination needs to be considered.

The room is temperature controlled and has a two-door control system to avoid light contamination during entry and exit of the room. Several LED lamps with various colour settings are provided.

The dark room has the following infrastructure:

  • A COY Type C anaerobic chamber and corresponding gases (plumbed nitrogen and the required gas mixture supplied from one of two 50 L bottles which can be stored in the atrium of the dark room)
  • A -20°C freezer

For a list of smaller devices and equipment available including the LED lamps and anaerobic chamber mentioned above, please see the comprehensive list here.

Access to the facility is restricted and is only available to both internal and external SwissFEL users upon request. External users have the priority for the usage of the facility and equipment during their scheduled beamtimes at SwissFEL.

Internal Users

Please contact Dr. Emma Beale to request access to the SwissFEL Chemistry Laboratory and Dark Room. 

External Users

External access can be requested via DUO. If the Chemistry Laboratory or Dark Room are required as part of a scheduled beamtime, please consider any special requirements you may need. To ensure any special or unusual requirements can be met, please contact Dr. Emma Beale well in advance of any such scheduled beamtime.