Core Facility Type

The Space Sciences Lab has two Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) instruments, one using Optimal Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and one using Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Both instruments use a peristaltic pump and quartz nebulizer for sample introduction. The instruments are able to analyze up to 70 elements in aqueous solutions (dilute nitric or hydrochloric acid). Common applications are analyzing the chemical composition of geologic samples (rocks, sediments, meteorites, water), but we can also analyze the composition of man-made materials like metals, alloys, silicon chips.

Our Thermo Fisher iCAP 6300 Duo ICP-OES instrument is used for analyzing elements at concentrations of parts per million (ppm) to parts per billion (ppb). The ICP-OES instrument is available to UC researchers/faculty/postdocs/graduate and undergraduate students.

Our Agilent 8800 ICP-MS Triple Quadrupole is used for analyzing elements at concentrations of parts per million (ppm) to parts per trillion (ppt). The instrument is equipped with a multipole-based collision/reaction cell, which eliminates spectral interferences to a significant extent. For some elements, this instrument is able to measure isotopic compositions with a few permille precision. The ICP-MS instrument is available to UC researchers/faculty/postdocs/graduate students.