Our laboratory is equipped with analytical tools, including a voltammetric system designed for the detection of trace metals. The system is based on the Autolab potentiostats, an instrument capable of performing precise electrochemical measurements. We use this system to analyze trace levels of metal ions, making it ideal for applications in oceanography research. By use of a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and advanced software controls, we can detect and quantify even the lowest concentrations of metals such as iron and copper focusing on biogeochemistry of those elements.
The DMA-80 Tri Cell manufactured by Milestone SCI is an analytical instrument used for measuring mercury in various types of samples, such as solids, liquids, and gases. It works through a process of thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, which eliminates the need for long sample preparation or the use of chemicals. The system employs a dual-stage decomposition furnace, which heats samples up to 850掳C to release mercury in vapor form while decomposing the sample matrix. The mercury vapor is then trapped on a gold-coated amalgamation trap, which selectively binds mercury while allowing other gases to pass through. Once the mercury is captured, it is thermally desorbed and passed into the spectrophotometer, where absorbance at 253.7 nm is measured for quantification.The device has a detection limit of 0.0003 ng and can measure up to 30,000 ng. It takes around 5 minutes to analyze one sample.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Sylvia Sander
