The UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC) is a campus-wide, state-of-the-art core facility that enables the use of modern instrumentation in molecular characterizations.
The purpose of the MIC is to meet the needs of the UCLA scientific community by providing all aspects of technical support in the application of modern instrumentation to solve problems in cutting-edge scientific research. MIC professional staff is responsible for operating, maintaining, and upgrading the equipment and training users. MIC encompasses four major areas: Magnetic Resonance, Mass Spectrometry, X-ray Diffraction, and Materials Characterization.
Recharge Information
The MIC is housed within and managed through the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. If you are a member of another UCLA department you’ll need to request a recharge account (download app form).If you do not anticipate becoming regular.user you can use P39 form (request it from your dept. fund manager). Your account will be charged electronically once a month. Non-UCLA users will be invoiced.
For current recharge rates, contact the relevant MIC staff member.
Acknowledgements
The UCLA MIC would like to thank the UCLA College Division of Physical Sciences for their ongoing support of molecular research.
Specialization Areas
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
The Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy has six and one EPR spectrometer. All of these spectrometers are available for use by all campus-wide UCLA researchers. All members of the UCLA community may use the NMR and EPR spectrometers after training by the Magnetic Resonance Laboratory personnel.
All users will have their grants recharged for use of the NMR spectrometers. Users from Departments other than Chemistry and Biochemistry must request a 6-digit recharge account prior to use of the spectrometers (download application form).
Mass Spectronomy
The Mass Spectronomy (MS) Laboratory at the Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC) at UCLA provides a wide range of sample characterization techniques for UCLA researchers, other academic institutions, and commercial enterprises:
- MS ionization methods: Electron ionization (EI), chemical ionization (CI), matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), direct analysis in real time (DART), electrospray ionization (ESI), and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI).
- MS analyzers: Time of flight, quadrupole, ion trap, Orbitrap ion cyclotron resonance (FT) analyzers, and several tandem combinations of mass analyzers.
- Gels: Equipment is available for 1-D and 2-D gels, transferring mini and mid-size gels, gel imaging, 1-D and 2-D gel analysis, spot cutting, in-gel digestion, and protein/peptide identification for a large variety of proteomics studies.
- Consultation: Sample preparation, experiment design, gel staining, analysis of protein expression patterns, western and lectin blots, in-gel trypic digestion, data mining and operation of the various instruments.
X-Ray Diffraction
For more than 40 years the J.D. McCullough Laboratory of X-ray Crystallography (located in 1416 Molecular Sciences) has been in operation, providing 3-dimensional structure of small molecules in solid crystals via X-ray crystallography. The facility is also equipped for characterization of polycrystalline solid materials using powder and thin film diffraction techniques. The laboratory is a full service facility where staff deals with all aspects of service from crystal selection to publication of results. In-house training is a requirement if you wish to use the equipment yourself. The laboratory is a part of the UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center, which is a campus wide facility open to the UCLA community. The facility also collaborates with personnel from other universities and industry both locally and internationally.
Materials Characterization
The Materials Characterization Lab offers thermal, optical, microscopic, electrical and magnetic characterization of materials and elemental analysis of surfaces via a wide range of instruments including light scattering spectrometers, several spectrophotometers; scanning probe microscopes, a SQUID magnetometer, a Scanning Electron Microscope, and an X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer among many other characterization tools.
Dafni Amirsakis Fellowship Award
