Instrumentation, Detection, & Analysis

Vivian Sullivan places a plate for alpha spectrometry into the Alpha Analyst instrument.

Seema Naik prepares an inorganic sample for analysis on the ICP-Optical Emission Spectrometer.

Susan Lopykinski prepares a sample for mercury analysis on the cold vapor Atomic Absorption instrument.

Analytical Chemist Yifen Tsai prepares a sample for analysis on the high-resolution ICP-Mass Spectrometer.

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory

The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) provides a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at Argonne National Laboratory and specialized analysis for government, academic, and industrial organizations, including other national laboratories and QA/QC programs and audits.

Analytical Services and Research

We handle a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques.

Inorganic Analysis

Wet-chemical and instrumental methods for elemental, compositional and isotopic analysis of solid and liquid samples. Analysis can be done on radioactive samples.

• Ion chromatography (IC)
• Inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometry (ICP/OES)
• Inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS) with dynamic reaction cell (DRC)
• Carbon, sulfur LECO analysis
• Autotitration: Acid-base, redox, and Karl Fischer water
• Cold vapor atomic absorption mercury analysis
• pH, mercury, conductivity, flashpoint
• Selected industrial hygiene and environmental parameters

Radiochemical Analysis

Nuclear counting and separations analysis available over a wide range of sample types, from low-radioactivity environmental samples to samples with high radioactivity requiring containment.

• Gamma spectrometry
• Alpha spectrometry
• Gross alpha and beta analysis by gas proportional or liquid scintillation
• Liquid scintillation counting
• K_d analysis of soil and rock
• Chemical conversions and separations involving radionuclides

Organic Analysis

Separation and quantitative analysis of trace-level complex organic mixtures and compounds

• Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
• Gas chromatography/electron capture detector (GC/ECD)
  

Microscopy

• Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)
• High-resolution atomic force microscope (AFM)
• High-resolution scanning tunneling microscope (STM)
• Environmentally controlled scanning probe microscope (SPM)