Chemistry

The Union College Chemistry Department, certified by the American Chemical Society, is characterized by small classes and laboratory settings; an outstanding collection of chemical instrumentation; and dedicated, accessible faculty with expertise in everything from organic and inorganic chemistry to analytical, forensic and environmental chemistry.

Facilities

Major instruments available to undergraduates include a 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, research-grade mass spectrometers, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, thermogravimetric analyzer, scanning electron microscope, atomic absorption spectrometer, voltammetric analyzer, atomic force microscope, IR and Raman microscopes and much more.

In addition, the Peter Irving Wold Center is home to the Aerogel Fabrication, Characterization and Applications Lab, an interdisciplinary facility for faculty and student researchers in chemistry and mechanical engineering that includes state-of-the-art instrumentation.

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Research

Union College and the Chemistry Department have a strong tradition of student-faculty research. In addition to participating in the campus-wide Steinmetz Symposium research day, many chemistry students present at national and regional conferences and publish in well-recognized journals. The department awards some 30-40 summer research fellowships each year. Students also pursue summer research at other institutions and in government labs.

Beyond campus

Many chemistry majors go on Union’s Sicily term abroad, where they engage in research projects with scientists and graduate students at the National Research Council in Palermo. Others hold internships at local chemical and technical firms. Our national award-winning Chemistry Club, an affiliate of the ACS, is involved in numerous activities, including professional society meetings and volunteer work at local schools.