Chemistry Department Makes Sanitizer For University

Indiana University Bloomington's chemistry department is managing to keep its sanitizer supplies up during a shortage thanks to the efforts of its staff.

Jon Karty, a senior scientist at the Big 10 school's College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry has volunteered his expertise to make batches of hand sanitizer and surface sanitizer intended to help protect staff against COVID-19, the university reports.

Karty and another university staff member have already pumped up 32 gallons of each form of sanitizer. The sanitizers are offered in either 5-gallon buckets, 3-ounce spray bottles or 1-quart bottles.

Karty has been busily working towards the development of emergency sanitizer for several weeks now. Before creating sanitizer for his department, the professor advised a local craft distillery on how to make large batches of hand sanitizer. The university then went on to purchase more than 600 gallons of that hand sanitizer from the distillery.