The Danheiser Research Group laboratories are located on the first floor of the Dreyfus Building (“Building 18”) at MIT. Built in 1970 and designed by renowned architect and MIT alum I. M. Pei, the Dreyfus Building is located near the middle of the MIT campus next to Eastman Court. The Dreyfus Building is home to all of the organic chemistry research groups in the department, as well as several of the labs working in the areas of inorganic and biological chemistry. The Department of Chemistry Instrumentation Facility is conveniently located in the sub-basement of the Dreyfus Building.

The Dreyfus Building laboratories underwent extensive renovation in 2001-2003 and feature an open and spacious floor plan. Inert gases (both argon and nitrogen) are piped from outdoor liquid storage tanks and are available at all benches and in all hoods. Recirculating chilled water is used for condensers and for cooling, and each lab has its own “house vacuum” system that can be set at pressures down to 1 Torr and is used for rotary evaporators and for vacuum filtration.

Each researcher has their own fume hood, ample bench space, and their own rotary evaporator. Storage cabinets for chemical samples and solvents are located under each hood and are vented to the hoods to minimize odors and for safety purposes. Inert gas manifolds are connected to high vacuum pumps located in sound-insulated storage cabinets underneath each hood.

The office area is separated from the lab so that researchers do not need to wear eye protection when working at their desks and can also eat and drink at their desks. The office area of the lab also includes a kitchen equipped with refrigerator, sink, and microwave oven. Large glass windows provide researchers in the office area with visual access to the laboratory space.