Wazed Miah Science Research Center

Dr. Koushik Saha
Dr. Koushik Saha Department of Chemistry
Director

Dr. Koushik Saha

Message from Director

Wazed Miah Science Research Centre (WMSRC) is recognized as the centre of excellence of   Jahangirnagar University to provide scientific research facilities for researchers of JU. We also provide instrument facilities to other universities as well as research institutes and industries of Bangladesh. WMSRC is taking a leading role in experimentally probing scientific research at its most fundamental level.

 

Our research laboratories provide stimulating interaction among the research programs at several JU departments and give students the opportunity to become familiar with advanced research work in disciplines other than his/her own.

This combination of theoretical knowledge and extensive research facility provide the foundation to our graduate students that was needed for a meaningful professional career and a lifetime of independent learning.  It makes the JU graduate in science capable of adapting both to the changing demands of his/her profession and to the career opportunities encountered.

A list of scientific instruments available at Wazed Miah Science Research Centre (WMSRC) is given below:

Serial No.

Name of Instruments

Application

1

Single Crystal X-Ray diffraction

Single-crystal X-ray Diffraction is a non-destructive analytical technique which provides detailed information about the internal lattice of crystalline substances, including unit cell dimensions, bond-lengths, bond-angles, and details of site-ordering directly related is single-crystal refinement, where the data generated from the X-ray analysis is interpreted and refined to obtain the crystal structure.

2

Powder X-Ray diffraction

X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a rapid analytical technique primarily used for phase identification of a crystalline material and can provide information on unit cell dimensions. The analyzed material is finely ground, homogenized, and average bulk composition is determined.

3

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS)

Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) is an analytical technique that measures the concentrations of elements (mainly metals). Atomic absorption is so sensitive that it can measure down to parts per billion of a gram (µg dm–3) in a sample. The technique makes use of the atomic absorption spectrum of a sample in order to assess the concentration of specific analytes within it. It requires standards with known analyte content to establish the relation between the measured absorbance and the analyte concentration and relies therefore on the Beer-Lambert Law.

4

HPLC

HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) is used to separate mixtures of compounds based on their polarity. This is carried out by injecting your sample onto a HPLC column and eluting the compounds along a concentration gradient. The main purposes for using HPLC are for identifying, quantifying and purifying the individual components of the mixture.

5

GC

GC (Gas Chromatography) is a technique for separating volatile substances by percolating a gas stream over a stationary phase. GC is a commonly used analytic technique in many research and industrial laboratories for quality control as well as identification and quantitation of compounds in a mixture. GC is also a frequently used technique in many environmental and forensic laboratories because it allows for the detection of very small quantities. A broad variety of samples can be analyzed as long as the compounds are sufficiently thermally stable and reasonably volatile.

6

Stopped-flow Spectrometer

Stopped-flow is a lab technique for studying fast chemical reactions. A stopped-flow instrument is a rapid mixing device used to study the chemical kinetics of fast reactions in solution. The solutions are first forced from syringes into a mixing chamber. After perhaps a few milliseconds the observation cell is filled by a piston linked to a sensing switch that triggers the measuring device and the flow is stopped suddenly. The system is often modeled by conventional kinetic equations.

7

IR Spectroscopy

Infrared Spectroscopy is the analysis of infrared light interacting with a molecule. This can be analyzed in three ways by measuring absorption, emission and reflection. The main use of this technique is in organic and inorganic chemistry. It is used by chemists to determine functional groups in molecules.

8

UV-Vis Spectroscopy

Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) refers to absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible spectral region. This means it uses light in the visible and adjacent ranges. The absorption in the visible range directly affects the perceived color of the chemicals involved. In this region of the electromagnetic spectrum, atoms and molecules undergo electronic transitions.

UV/Vis spectroscopy is routinely used in analytical chemistry for the quantitative determination of different analytes, such as transition metal ions, highly conjugated organic compounds, and biological macromolecules. Spectroscopic analysis is commonly carried out in solutions.

9

Cyclic voltammetry

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is a type of potentiodynamic electrochemical measurement. In this technique, the electrode potential ramps linearly versus time in cyclical phases. The rate of voltage change over time during each of these phases is known as the experiment's scan rate (V/s). The potential is measured between the working electrode and the reference electrode, while the current is measured between the working electrode and the counter electrode. These data are plotted as current versus applied potential.

10

Elemental analyzer

Elemental analysis is an experiment that determines the amount (typically a weight percent) of an element in a compound. A CHN/O Analyzer is a scientific instrument which can determine the elemental composition of a sample. The name derives from the three primary elements measured by the device: carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O). Sulfur (S) can also be measured.

11

Microscope

It uses lenses in order to magnify the objects so that it can be seen through the naked eye. We have different types of microscopes: Polarizing, Stereo and Advanced

12

RT-PCR

A real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-Time PCR), also known as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), is a laboratory technique of molecular biology based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It monitors the amplification of a targeted DNA molecule during the PCR.

13

Protein Purification System

Protein purification is a series of processes intended to isolate one or a few proteins from a complex mixture, usually cells, tissues or whole organisms. Protein purification is vital for the characterization of the function, structure and interactions of the protein of interest.

14

Water Assessment: BOD/COD/TOC/DO

The BOD value is most commonly expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per litre of sample during 5 days of incubation at 20 °C and is often used as a surrogate of the degree of organic pollution of water. BOD can be used as a gauge of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants.

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a measure of water and wastewater quality. The COD test is often used to monitor water treatment plant efficiency. This test is based on the fact that a strong oxidizing agent, under acidic conditions, can fully oxidize almost any organic compound to carbon dioxide. The COD is the amount of oxygen consumed to chemically oxidize organic water contaminants to inorganic end products.

The COD is often measured using a strong oxidant (e.g. potassium dichromate, potassium iodate, potassium permanganate) under acidic conditions. A known excess amount of the oxidant is added to the sample. Once oxidation is complete, the concentration of organics in the sample is calculated by measuring the amount of oxidant remaining in the solution. This is usually done by titration, using an indicator solution. COD is expressed in mg/L, which indicates the mass of oxygen consumed per liter of solution.

Total organic carbon (TOC) is the amount of carbon in an organic compound and is often used as a non-specific indicator of water quality or cleanliness of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment. Organic substances are monitored by oxidizing them and detecting the resulting oxidation products. By convention, the measurement is expressed as total organic carbon (TOC) and reported in ppb or µg/L.

The dissolved oxygen (DO) is oxygen that is dissolved in water. The oxygen dissolves by diffusion from the surrounding air; aeration of water that has tumbled over falls and rapids; and as a waste product of photosynthesis. Dissolved oxygen is necessary to many forms of life including fish, invertebrates, bacteria and plants. Microbes such as bacteria and fungi also require dissolved oxygen. These organisms use DO to decompose organic material at the bottom of a body of water.

15

Microwave digestion System

Microwave digestion is widely recognized as the most robust sample prep technique for AA, ICP-OES, or ICP-MS analyses. Microwave digestion involves combining the sample matrix and acids in a pressurized container and elevating the solution past the boiling point of the acid which significantly accelerates the digestion.

Chemical synthesis using Microwave is the purposeful execution of chemical reactions among opportune starting materials (reagents) aimed to get a product or a mixture of products (reaction mixture). Microwaves promote the rotation of specific molecules in a reaction mixture. This rotation results in increased molecular collisions and generation of heat. The Polar reaction mixtures have the physical capability to interact with microwaves and generate heat.

16

Freeze dryer

Freeze drying works by freezing the material, then reducing the pressure and adding heat to allow the frozen water in the material to sublimate.

17

Photochemical Reactor

The photochemical reactor is used to carry out a photochemical reaction, water splitting, and photochlorination reaction. The reaction takes place in the presence of photon and catalyst. Hence it is called as photocatalysis reaction or photochemical reaction. The reactor is also known as the photocatalytic reactor.

18

Ultrapure water

Ultrapure water is water that has been purified to uncommonly stringent specifications. Ultrapure water is a commonly used term in the semiconductor industry to emphasize the fact that the water is treated to the highest levels of purity for all contaminant types, including: organic and inorganic compounds; dissolved and particulate matter; volatile and non-volatile, reactive and inert; hydrophilic and hydrophobic; and dissolved gases.

19

Flake ice maker

Flake ice is ice of irregular shaped pieces. These ice flakes are so small, also moldable and used for many scientific purposes.

20

Drying oven

Drying ovens are devices used to remove moisture from objects without high temperature. They are used for a variety of purposes such as sterilizing laboratory equipment.

21

Muffle Furnace

The muffle furnace is a vital testing instrument that is utilized in the laboratories for testing different materials. The instruments are used for conducting the test methods that requires a high amount of heat. There are many applications of muffle furnace that are utilized in industries. The instrument can reach a very high temperature of up to 14000 C, which is ideal for some critical applications in industries.

The instrument can be used in the laboratories for performing the research about various properties of different materials. The instrument is used for converting the materials in absolute ashes. This ash is used for performing the analysis of different attributes of the materials that are being tested. It is the best way to study the chemical properties of different materials.

22

Ultra Low Temperature Freeze (-800C)

To reduce the risk of sample damage during long term storage for biological samples like DNA, RNA, proteins, cell extracts, or reagents need extremely low temperatures of -80 to -85 °C.

23

Ultrasonic Bath

The sonochemical reaction is considered to originate from acoustic cavitation. This process can be characterised by the formation, growth and implosive collapse of gas vacuoles in a solution. The cavity growth depends on the intensity of sound. Ultrasound energy has been found to be an efficient way to improve the performance of several different applications of analytical chemistry, such as extractions of inorganic and organic compounds, slurry dispersion, homogenisation, and other applications.

24

Shaking Incubator

Shaking incubators are often used for solubility studies, cell culturing and cell aeration. In addition to offering stable temperature conditions, the shaking incubators use an orbital agitation at variable speeds.

25

Ultracentrifuge

Ultracentrifuges are commonly used in molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology. Applications of ultracentrifuges include the separation of small particles such as viruses, viral particles, proteins and/or protein complexes, lipoproteins, RNA, and plasmid DNA.


Wazed Miah Science Research Center

WAZED MIAH SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTER was established on 30th May, 2009. Since then, it has been operating its activities temporarily in the 2nd floor of Zahir Raihan Auditorium, Jahangirnagar University. A six storied building is under construction and is expected to be completed in few months time. The research center has fully air conditioned laboratories having sophisticated modern instrumental facilities. Its foremost purpose is to enhance research amenities of science faculties.

WMSRC has received a grant of Tk 450.00 lakh under Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP), Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) Window-3, administered by University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. The title of sub project is “Procurement of a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)   Spectrometer for Wazed Miah Science Research Center: Research Capacity Enhancement for Faculty and Postgraduate Students in Physical and Biological Sciences”, Complete Proposal No. JU 2347. The 400Mz NMR spectrometer has already been procured and is expected to be commissioned in May, 2015.

The research center has also received a grant of Tk 280.00 lakh to establish a powder diffraction X-ray facility under the sub project “Establishment of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) research facilities in Wazed Miah Science Research Center (WMSRC), Jahangirnagar University”, Complete Proposal No. JU 3438.

Available Instrumentation Facility, Sample Analysis Request Forms & Charges are given in download section below: