Chemistry

Chemistry is a vital, creative field, intellectually challenging and a solid foundation for a number of careers.

The Union College chemistry department, certified by the American Chemical Society, offers small classes and laboratory settings. Our faculty members are dedicated teachers with a wide range of expertise in everything from organic and inorganic chemistry to analytical, forensic and environmental chemistry.

At Union, you will enjoy extraordinary opportunities for research. In addition to participating in the campus wide Steinmetz Research Symposium, many students present at national and regional conferences. Students also can be involved in summer research with faculty mentors; some 30-40 summer research fellowships in chemistry are awarded each year.

Research facilities

Our facilities and instrumentation are top-notch. 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.

Other learning opportunities

Beyond campus, some 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 is involved in numerous activities, including professional society meetings and volunteer work at local schools.

Careers after Union

Union students who graduate with a major in chemistry enroll in medical school or other health-related graduate programs, and they go on to further study and careers in business, education and law. About a third of our graduates go directly to jobs in chemical or biotechnology corporations.

Here's a look at what some of our alumni have been doing since graduating:

Senior research chemist, Nalco Chemical Company
Physician, Christiana Care
Assistant professor, Duke University
Senior scientist, Base Pair Biotechnologies
Chemical research scientist, Roche Pharmaceutical

Chemistry career paths — Graphic: career paths of Union Chemistry majors

A Sampling of Courses

Analytical Chemistry

A course that focuses on the quantitative analysis of samples. Classroom and laboratory emphasis on statistical treatment of data, classical and instrumental methods of chemical analysis, and chemical equilibrium.

The Art & Science of Painting

A historical and chemical grounding in the topic of painting and its impact on society, with focus on the 14th to 17th centuries. Topics include inorganic and organic pigments and binders used in the late medieval workshop, fresco, the tempera tradition, and oil painting in the Renaissance.

Synthetic Methods

This course focuses on developing the common laboratory techniques used in modern synthetic organic chemistry and the underlying principles of organic chemistry covered. Topics to be covered will be in the form of three synthetic projects.