Instrumentation

Thermo X-Series II (X7) quadrupole ICP-MS (installed 2006).

The ICP-MS can be used for laser ablation or solution analyses. The X-series is equipped with a collision cell (CCT), standard (Xt) or high sensitivity (Xs) cones, peltier cooled spray chamber, optional desolvating nebulizer (APEX), and a simultaneous discrete dynode detector. Typical sensitivity in solution mode (Xt cones) exceeds 70,000 cps/ppb for indium. Typical background on mass 220 is less than 1 cps.

New Wave UP-213 Laser solid sample introduction system (installed 2006).

The UP-213 is a 213 nm solid state Nd-YAG UV laser with a variable aperture to control the beam width (from 4 to 100 microns) allowing direct spatially resolved elemental analysis of solid materials.

ESI - APEX desolvating nebulizer (installed 2006).

The APEX improves sensitivity (up to a factor of 5) and helps remove some molecular interferences by removing the solvent from a liquid sample before it passes into the ICP-MS. The result is a dry aerosol which increases sensitivity by decreasing the total amount of material entering the plasma.