Slowly but surely our new lab at Kent State is starting to round into form. A large effort has gone into selecting and ordering equipment and consumables to outfit our lab; most of this equipment is standard for a biogeochemistry lab, but it's all necessary to start answering the research questions that we're interested in. The main piece of equipment for our lab is a brand-new Optima 8000, which will be used for doing inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).
This unassuming box contains a very sophisticated piece of equipment that can detect and measure 70% of the naturally occurring elements on the periodic table (from Ag-Zr). Behind the black window (center of image) is a torch where radio waves, and magnets work together to produce a plasma of argon that is very, very hot (~12,000° F). When a pump introduces a sample into that super high-energy plasma all the molecules in that sample break down into their respective atoms. As the atoms move through the plasma they emit light, and each element gives off a very specific light signature. The spectrometer (R side of image) measures this emitted light as intensities at specific wavelengths. By looking at individual wavelengths of light that are "fingerprints" of individual elements, we can extract the signal of that element and determine how much was in the sample (concentration). The ICP-OES can measure multiple elements within the same sample, which can give us a picture of the unique elemental chemistry of an individual water or soil sample.
In our lab, we'll be using the ICP-OES to measure metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb) in stream waters and sediment. However, this machine is a shared resource and will be used by many researchers across different departments at Kent State. The flexibility of the ICP-OES and relatively simple operation makes it a useful tool for many researchers studying elemental cycles. Right now, our machine is going through initial tests and we plan on generating our first data in the next few weeks.
In our lab, we'll be using the ICP-OES to measure metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb) in stream waters and sediment. However, this machine is a shared resource and will be used by many researchers across different departments at Kent State. The flexibility of the ICP-OES and relatively simple operation makes it a useful tool for many researchers studying elemental cycles. Right now, our machine is going through initial tests and we plan on generating our first data in the next few weeks.