The leading-edge equipment includes two new Mass Spectrometers (including one ultra-high resolution instrument), a 500 MHz NMR spectrometer (pictured) and two new single crystal X-ray diffractometers.

The new capabilities augment not only provision in the Department of Chemistry but will become part of the portfolio of the Chemical Characterisation and Analysis Facility (CCAF), a Faculty of Science initiative.

The grant was awarded as part of an EPSRC scheme which recognised the importance of funding equipment in support of excellent research, and it supports a current EPSRC grant portfolio in the Department that exceeds £34M. The equipment award was supported by an additional contribution of around £300k from the University.

The award submission within Bath was led by Professor Chick Wilson, who commented: "This welcome injection of new equipment funding by EPSRC, fully supported by the University, helps us offer state-of-the-art capability for Bath chemists and their many collaborators, while also substantially augmenting our facilities within CCAF."

In recognition of the national nature of this initiative and the significant investment made by EPSRC, the Core Chemistry Capability enhancements are officially launched today, in a series of events coordinated by Imperial College and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Here in Bath, the equipment will formally be inaugurated as part of a launch event for CCAF on Tuesday 9 September.

This will be a one-day symposium highlighting analytical capabilities, together with themed inputs on the topic of "The Alchemy of What We Swallow", with contributions from academic and industrial colleagues and local businesses interested in applying analytical methods. The launch meeting is being organised by CCAF, led by Dr Anneke Lubben.