Organic Geochemistry Facility

The facility supports in-house research and teaching, as well as academic and commercial services in wide-ranging analysis of natural, contaminant and pharmaceutical organic compounds.

The Organic Geochemistry Facility is located within the School of GeoSciences, at the University of Edinburgh.

  • We support School in-house research and teaching, as well as services to all departments within the University.
  • We also provide academic and commercial research services to external users such as other universities, research bodies and commercial organisations.

We offer analytical capabilities for extraction, separation, identification and quantification of a variety of natural, contaminant and pharmaceutical organic compounds, in addition to carbon and nitrogen elemental and stable isotopic analyses.

Analytical equipment and methods

The facility and equipment are available for new method development for many natural, contaminant or pharmaceutical organic compounds, staff have extensive experience in these methods:

  • Extraction by hydrolysis of Amino Acids from marine sediments and biological material, analysis available by HPLC(OPA) or by GC-MS as TFA isopropyl esters
  • Extraction by hydrolysis of Monosaccharides from marine sediments and biological material, analysis available by GC, GC-MS (TMS or Alditol Acetate)
  • Simultaneous Determination of Uronic Acids and Aldoses in Plankton, Plant Tissues, and Sediment by Capillary Gas Chromatography of A/-Hexylaldonamide and Alditol Acetates
  • Extraction by alkaline oxidation of Phenolic compounds (particularly Lignin Phenols) from marine sediments and biological material, analysis available by GC-MS (TMS)
  • Extraction and analysis (HPLC) of Free Amino acids from plant material
  • Analysis of Volatile Fatty Acids by GC
  • Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)/Total Dissolved Nitrogen (TDN)in natural waters
  • Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (e.g. BTEX and Geosmin) with GC-MS following extraction onto SPME fibre
  • Determination of Pharmaceuticals (e.g. Diclofenac and Ibuprofen) with HPLC

We have a range of equipment available to carry out analyses.  

Our equipment includes:

  • GC-MS system (Agilent 5977 GC, 8890 MSD) with autoinjector, split/splitless, SPME - data processing with Agilent Masshunter and spectral libraries
  • GC-MS system (Agilent 6890 GC, 5973 MSD) with autoinjector, split/splitless, SPME or on-column injection - data processing with Agilent Chemstation for MSD and spectral libraries
  • Shimadzu TOC-L (High Temperature Catalytic Oxidation) analyser with TNM module for chemiluminescence detection of Nitrogen
  • Shimadzu TOC-V (High Temperature Catalytic Oxidation) analyser with TNM module for chemiluminescence detection of Nitrogen
  • Agilent HPLC-FLD-DAD (1260 Infinity) Ultra-high pressure liquid chromatograph
  • Shimadzu Nexera-I 2040C HPLC FLD-DAD Ultra-high pressure liquid chromatograph
  • Two ThermoScientific Trace 1600 GC systems with autoinjector (liquid samples only), split/splitless inlet with Flame Ionisation Detectors (FID)

In addition to the main instruments in the facility we have supporting equipment available.

  • Fume cupboards
  • Microbalance
  • Freeze drier
  • Autoclave
  • Muffle furnace
  • Ultra-low-temperature (-70°C) freezer
  • Refrigerated centrifuges
  • Organic-clean (Type 1) ultrapure water
  • Soxhlet extraction
  • Ultrasonic bath
  • Column chromatography for lipid class separation
  • Centrifugal and rotary evaporation systems

Contact and location

For more information, advice or to access our services, please contact: 

Mr Stephen Mowbray Organic Geochemistry Lab Manager

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 131 650 7336
  • Fax:  +44 (0) 131 668 3184
  • Email: Steve.Mowbray@ed.ac.uk
  • Address: Grant Institute, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, EDINBURGH EH9 3FE

Location:

The Organic Geochemistry Facility is located in the John Murray Laboratories at the King's Buildings campus, University of Edinburgh. 

Please note that parking on campus is strictly by permit only. Commercial and external users should contact the facility staff about parking arrangements.


The facility is available for use by:

  • Students and staff at the University of Edinburgh ​
  • Students and staff from other universities
  • External visitors 

A further significant activity of the facility is undertaking method development to meet user demands.

Important information

Please contact the facility to discuss analytical requirements and charging information.  

Availability
  • Access is subject to availability.
  • Running the facility is staff-intensive and typically no more than two instruments/methods are being undertaken at any one time.  This is due to the substantial method development activity and the generally complex nature of the analyses conducted (often involving multi-stage processes).
Costs
  • Prices may vary depending on work involved.
  • Prospective users should contact the facility to discuss requirements and costs involved. 
  • Staff and students within the School of GeoSciences must complete a technical request form.

Small Research Facility (SRF)

Our Organic Geochemistry Facility is operated as a Small Research Facility (SRF).

A Small Research Facility (SRF) is a facility or service provided by the School and used for research and teaching. They are also available for use by the wider community such as external academic or commercial use. Our SRF's are available for hire or on a consultancy basis. These charges are recognised by grant funders and can therefore form part of a grant submission.

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