The Department’s Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer (ICP-ES) Lab is primarily dedicated to major and trace element analyses of rocks, sediments, and water samples. It features a Jobin-Yvon Ultima-C ICP-ES that includes both a monochromator and polychromator, allowing elements to be measured either sequentially or simultaneously.
The Ultima-C is equipped with a PMT-based polychromator preset to analyze 25 major and trace elements. The 1-m monochromator can operate in the low UV wavelengths. The ICP-ES, with minimal optimization, routinely achieves better than 1% drift over a period of 3–4 hours. Routine precision in solution is 1–2% RSD for most elements. Our detection limits are generally better than 100 parts per billion.