The facility for Elemental Microanalysis is equipped with a flash combustion elemental analyser and a high precision microbalance:
a Thermo Finnigan EA 1112 Series Flash Elemental Analyser
a Sartorius Microbalance SE2
The elemental analyser measures the amount of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur in materials by the combustion of small amounts (1-2 mg) of the unknown substance in pure oxygen and in the presence of catalysts at high temperature. The combustion products are separated by passing them through a packed column and are quantified using a thermal conductivity detector.
The high precision micro balance can weigh samples up to 2 grams with a readability of 0.1 µg.
Applications:
The facility is principally used to determine the levels of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur in samples as diverse as rocks, soils, ice cores, biological materials, and novel organometallic compounds. A recent project measured the nitrogen content of a series of forage grasses to determine which species had the best protein content.
For more information, contact the Scientific Officer in Charge of this facility.
