Electron Microprobe Microanalytical Facility
This lab is equipped with a JEOL 8900 instrument purchased in 1993 with the help of an NSERC grant. The important features of the instrument are as follows:
- 5 WDS spectrometers including one with a small Rowland circle for trace elements, one four-crystal spectrometer and two synthetic multi-layers for the analysis of light elements (B - F)
- A Si(Li) EDS detector
- Full integration of WDS and EDS Spectrometers allowing simultaneous WDS/EDS work
- Secondary and Backscatter imaging with magnification from 40 to 300,000x and 70 nm resolution. Images may be acquired digitally for further processing, or on film.
- High resolution digital X-Ray mapping with both EDS and WDS spectrometers and image processing software for image analysis
- All analytical modes are fully automated, allowing unattended use
- New QUARTZ PCI system. It takes only 20 sec. to obtain digital Secondary and Backscatter images
For more information, contact lang.shi [at] mcgill.ca (Lang Shi) or visit the website.
Atomic Absorption Lab
Instrumentation:
- Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 800 atomic absorption spectrometer with longitudinal Zeeman graphite furnace
- Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 100 Flame atomic absorption spectrometer
- Perkin Elmer FIMS-400 Cold Vapour Mercury analysis system with Amalgam accessory
These three instruments have complementary capabilities to quantify the concentration of dissolved components in liquid samples at concentrations from percent to ppm (flame AA), parts-per-billion (graphite furnace) and even parts-per-trillion (mercury cold vapour).
- ELTRA CS-800 Carbon/Sulphur IR Analyzer
Allows the quantification of the total carbon and sulphur contents of solid samples into the ppm range.
Inductively-Coupled Plasma (ICP) Lab
Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a powerful technique for the quantification of minor and trace elements present in natural and experimental samples at very low concentrations.
Our Facility houses a brand new Thermo Scientific iCAP Q ICP-MS equipped with an autosampler for the analyses of bulk samples in solution, as well as a NewWave 213 nm ND-YAG laser ablation system for the analyses of solid samples. Our class-100 clean room allows for sample and standard preparation in an environment free of possible contaminants.
For more information on our ICP-MS facility, services offered, and contact information please visit the ICP Lab website.
Stable Isotope Laboratory
Equipped with CFI-funded gas source mass spectrometer and supported by separate dry and wet labs for sample preparation:
- Nu Instruments Perspective: a large-radius mass spectrometer is equipped for both dual inlet and continuous flow analyses. It is coupled to a NuCarb automated carbonate preparation device for highly precise and sensitive measurement of C and O isotopes in carbonate minerals.
For more information on this facility, please contact Galen Halverson.