Brian Price ICP Facility

Our facility includes:

1. The sample preparation laboratory
2. The ICP-OES laboratory
3. The Brian Price ICP-MS laboratory

ICP-OES

ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry) is a fast multi-element technique with a dynamic linear range and moderate detection limits (~0.2-100 ppb). The instrument uses an ICP source, made by ionising argon gas, to dissociate the sample into its constituent atoms or ions, exciting them to a level where they emit light of a characteristic wavelength. Up to 60 elements can be screened per single sample run of less than one minute.

ICP-MS

ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) is a multi-element technique for trace analysis where low detection limits (0.0005-1.0 ppb) are required and for high-precision isotope ratio studies. Most elements from 0-240 amu are ionised into singly charged positive ions (M+). Sample preparation is more crucial than in ICP-OES with samples ideally dissolved in 2% HNO3 v/v, a total dissolved solids content.

The Laboratory is equipped with a High-Resolution, Single Collector ICP-MS (Nu instruments, Attom system- HR-ICPMS) for high precision concentration multi-element analysis and a Multi Collector ICP-MS (Nu Plasma 2, MC-ICP-MS) for isotopic ratio analysis. 

For analysis on solid samples, the laboratory is equipped with an Excimer 193nm Laser Ablation system that can be coupled to either the HR-ICPMS or the MC-ICPMS.