The department is housed in the Chemistry Building, located near the center of campus within easy walking distance of the other science and engineering buildings. Dedicated in 1970, the building has won architectural awards for its external design and was remodeled in 1994.

The department has all the standard equipment expected in modern chemistry laboratories (UV-vis spectrometers, AA spectrometers, HPLC's, GC's, etc.), in addition to specialized research equipment, including a 300-MHz NMR, a GC-MS, a GC-FTIR, low-level alpha, beta and gamma radiation counting equipment, etc. Because of strong collaboration with the Harry Reid Center, the facilities often are available for both graduate and undergraduate research projects, as well as serving as potential sources of employment for students.