GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Ancillary equipment in the lab includes automatic titrators to
determine the surface charge as well as adsorption of cations and
anions on mineral surfaces by using pH and ion selective electrodes,
respectivelyl. The laboratory also has a chloridometer as well as
fluidized bed and shaker bed reaction apparatus for research in
the rate of mineral/fluid reactions as a function of time.
The DCP instrument is operated under the direction of
Walther as a cost center within the
Department. The usage fee is $30/hr.
This laboratory houses a simultaneous SpectrSpan 7 direct current argon plasma
(DCP) spectrometer which generates a temperature of
7,000 deg. K. This is sufficient to dissociate most
compounds and cause elemental spectrum to be generated. Wave
lengths within the spectra can be selected with an echelle grating.
Measured against standards, the intensity of the selected wave length
give the concentration of the element over a number of orders of
magnitude. The DCP is used to obtain solute concentrations
for fluids in experimental charges as well as in natural waters.
Most elements in the periodic table can be analyzed except those in
air and those heavier than uranium with a detection limit that
ranges between 1 and 100 ppb.
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