Laboratory

Sample preparation

Description

The analysis of trace quantities of natural or anthropogenic chemicals in the environment, often as part of complex mixtures requires the use of methodologies to isolate and/or concentrate the target compounds. These can be time consuming, so the use of instrumentation to speed up and add a degree of automatism in the analysis is a must is a large number of samples are to be analyzed quickly, reliably, safely and, hopefully, cheaply.

For this purpose, we use a suite of instruments such as:

Microwaves for sample digestion or extraction
ASE for the rapid extraction or organic mixtures
Solvent or Acid concentrators
Liquid chromstography to fractionate or purify extracts

Instruments

Thermo Scientific Dionex™ASE™ 350

Extraction and clean up of biomarkers (e.g. PAHs, n-alkanes, n-alkenones, sugars and sterols) from filters and sediments.

TriPlus™ RSH Autosampler - Thermo Fisher Scientific

Robotic system for automatic liquid handling, sample preparation and injection into a GC

Microwave Digestion System MARS 6 - CEM

Acid digestion of filters, soils and sediment to analyse pyrogenic carbon

MicroVap Microwave Concentration and Evaporation Vessels for acid solutions

System to reduce the volume of acid solutions using microwave and a vacuum pump

CEM Mars 5xpress microwave

For the acid digestion of sediments and aerosols with HNO3 and HF to analyse trace metals.

CEM Mars 5 microwave

For the hydrolysis and erxtraction of biomarkers from aerosols, sediments, soils and archeological artefacts

Centrifugal sample concentrator

By placing sample extracts (organic or aqueous) under vacuum in a centrifuge, the elimination of solvent and concentration of solutes can be sped up considerably

Automated solvent evaporation system TurboVap® LV

Optimized approach to the "classical" method of concentrating solvent mixtures (organic or aqueous) through nitrogen blowdown.