The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University hosts a brand-new ICP-MS facility dedicated to the analysis of minor and trace elements in natural and experimental samples. The main aim of the facility is to support the research conducted in the department and GEOTOP. However, the facility is also available to outside users.

Instruments

The main instrument in the facility is a brand-new Thermo Finnigan iCapQ ICP-MS. This ICP-MS can be coupled to an auto-sampler for analysis of solutions, or to a NewWave 213 nm Nd-YAG laser ablation system for solid sample analyses.

Support Laboratory

The ICP-MS instrument is supported by an ultra-clean lab facility dedicated to preparation of samples and standards. The clean-lab is a Class-100 facility. A 6-foot fume hood is available for manipulation of chemicals including acids, and a 6-foot laminar flow cabinet allows for research where higher than Class-100 conditions are required. The lab also hosts sub-boiling acid stills and a new ultra-clean water preparation system.

In addition we offer a number of stand-alone facilities to support general sample preparation work. These include:

1. •microwave sample digestion system, for acid-digestion of solids and organics at elevated temperature and pressure
   

2. •programmable furnace for sample ashing and determination of LOI
   

3. •flux digestion system, for digestion of solid samples in carbonate or borate fluxes
   

4. •perchloric fume hood
   

5. •laminar flow hood
   

6. •dentist drill setup for micro-drill sampling