Department of Geology
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TRACE ELEMENT ANALYTICAL LABORATORY

The Trace Element Analytical Laboratory, operated by the Department of Geology and located in Cramer Hall Room 43, provides inorganic analytical support for researchers from throughout PSU as well as non-PSU users.

Instrumentation

User Fees

ICP-MS Applications

Examples of Recent

ICP-MS Research

Environmental Sciences & Resources Graduate Student

Becky Gloss operating the HP-4500 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer

Geology Graduate Student Eric Nielsen operating the

Dionex ICS-2500 Ion Chomatograph

For inquires regarding analytical capabilities, sample preparation, or scheduling and pricing, contact Ben Perkins:

Telephone: (503) 725-3387
Fax: (503) 725-3025
email: rperkins@pdx.edu

Mailing Address
Portland State University
Department of Geology
Cramer Hall 17
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

FedEx / UPS Street Address
Portland State University
Department of Geology
Cramer Hall 17
1721 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201

The lab houses the following instrumentation:

HP-4500 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS)
Dionex ICS-2500 Ion Chromatograph (IC)
Beckman Coulter DU 730 Spectrometer
Perkin Elmer AAnalyst-300 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS)
Perkin Elmer HGA 800 Graphite Furnace (GF-AAS)
Perkin Elmer TGA7 Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA)
Milestone Ethos series closed-vessel microwave digester

Laboratory Fee Schedule:

ICP-MS: Academic Users, unassisted: $35 per plasma hour
ICP-MS: ICP-MS, assisted: $80 per plasma hour
ICP-MS: Outside Users - Contact Lab to discuss your needs
IC: Academic Users, unassisted: $16 per pump hour
IC: Non-Academic Use, unassisted: $25 per pump hour
Flame AAS: Academic Users, unassisted: $15 per lamp hour
Graphite Furnace AAS: Contact Lab to discuss your needs
TGA: Academic Users, unassisted: $20 per sample
TGA: Non-Academic Use, unassisted: $40 per sample
Assistance (including sample preparation, training): Minimum $40 per hour, up to $80 per hour depending on service (Contact lab to discuss your needs).

ICP-MS Applications:

ICP-MS can generate high-quality trace-level (sub-ppm) concentration data for elements with a wide range of atomic masses from ⁶Li to ²³⁸U. The best results are obtained for elements that have ionization potentials well below that of the carrier gas (Ar, 15.8 eV) and that are free of isobaric interferences. Our current setup precludes analyzing anything other than solutions. Analyses of soils, rocks, and other solids thus requires that samples be dissolved (e.g., via strong acid digestion). Solution samples submitted for analysis should be free of solids and elevated concentrations of organic compounds. Ideally, they should be in a matrix of 1-3% HNO3. Other matrices, including HCl, may be problematic in terms of signal response (e.g., viscosity differences affecting nebulization efficiencies, matrix components affecting plasma chemistry or inducing space charge effects) and interferences (e.g., Cl can combine with other elements in the atmosphere (including Ar!) or in solution to form dimers or trimers that cause interferences when analyzing As (in particular), Cr, Co, & Cu, amongst other analytes of interest). For these reasons, accurate analyses of solutions that are not in a dilute HNO3 matrix require matrix matching with standards and or use of standard addition calibration. Reagents used for sample preparation should be doubly distilled or ultrapure where possible. Samples that have high concentrations (> ppm) of analytes should be diluted. A minimum of 10 ml should be submitted for analysis.

Users need to provide:

Standards: Ideally these will be prepared from single- or multi-element commercial stock solutions. Typically, we utilize 3 to 6 external standards that bracket expected sample concentration range. In addition, we recommend that internal standards be utilized to account for variations in instrumental response as the analysis proceeds (drift). Internal standards (IS) are elements (e.g., Y, In, Bi) that would have negligible concentrations in sample and that do not cause isobaric interferences with analytes; they are added to all blanks, standards, and samples and the analyte:IS ratio is used to calibrate.

Blanks: Procedural blanks should be prepared by the same method used to prepare the unknowns. If the unknowns have not been processed by any digestion method, the blank would be diluted acid similar in concentration and character to that in the unknowns. Blanks will be run initially to check the cleanness of sample preparation procedures.

Quality Control Samples: These are samples of known concentrations, but prepared separately from (ideally with different stocks and by different people) calibration standards and are used to check the accuracy of the calibration and to track instrumental drift. Commercial QC samples are available.

Recent & Current ICP-MS Academic Research Users

Program / Department	PI	User	Project
PSU Geology	Perkins	Perkins Gray^MSHackett^MS-IPWagner^MS-IP Cole^{ST, MS-IP} G448/548 Class	Various; Synthesis & Characterization of Iron Films Sourcing Groundwater Springs Sourcing Groundwater Springs Metal Uptake in Infiltration Galleries Metal Uptake in a Constructed Wetland Heavy Metals in Local Waters & Sediments Recon of As in Local Groundwater
PSU Geology	Cummings	Nielsen^MSJames^MSSheridan^MSBartruff^MS-IP Students	Coastal Surface Water Groundwater Hydrogeology of Williamson R. Basin Groundwater-River Interaction in North Fork John Day River, Origins of Tufa in S Central OR Role of Pumice in Landscape Development
PSU Geology	Streck	G442/542 class	Trace elements in volcanic rocks
PSU Geology	Cady	Parenteau^DD	Microbial Signatures in Hot Springs
PSU Geology	Burns	Barnhard^DD-IP Ryan^MS-IP G460/560	Terroir Geochemistry Background As Concentrations in OR Soils Various Project
PSU Geology	Peterson	Student Students	Characterization of Paleosol Aquitards in Coastal Dune Deposits Sourcing Archaeological Artifacts
PSU Geology	Grathoff	Easterly^MS	Characterization of Nat’l Iron Films
PSU Engineering/ESM	Fish	Mukome^DD Smith^DD-IP Sinha	Cd Release from Fertilizers Contaminant Transport, Portland Harbor Superfund Site Metal Sorption Study
PSU Engineering	Johnson	Shehzrad Parajuli^DD-IP Scherberg	Cd Adsorption Contaminant Transport Efficacy of Passive As Treatment Sys.
PSU ESM	Sytsma	Miller^MS	Lake Characterization
PSU ESM	Yeakley	Gloss^MS	Heavy Metals in Johnson Creek
PSU Biology	Popa	Students	Microbial Weathering of Olivine
PSU Biology	Stedman	Student	Viruses in Acidic Volcanic Lake
PSU Chemistry	Iwata-Reuyl	Bonnet^MS	Prokaryotic Cyclohydrolase I Study
PSU Physics	Seipel	Student	Metal Doping of Magnetic Superconductors
OSHU/School of Dentistry	Mitchell	Davis Clark^DD Brown	Metals Leaching from Dental Work
OSHU/Microbiology	Landfear	Sanchez	As in Biologic Samples
OHSU/Microbiology	Crosa	Student	Analysis of Experimental Solutions
OSHU/Physiology & Pharmocology	Dawson	Student	Metals Leaching from Tygon Tubing

Note: ST: Senior thesis project; MS: Masters thesis project; MS-IP: Masters thesis project in progress; DD: Doctoral dissertation project; DD-IP: dissertation project in progress