Acquisition of a Magnetic-Sector, High-Resolution Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer for the University of Texas at Austin

9871301 Banner这项主要研究仪器计划拨款为德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校地质科学系提供了一台高分辨率磁扇形电感耦合等离子体质谱计（ICP-MS）的一半费用。该仪器将与现有的分析洁净室和质谱仪设备一起用于岩石、矿物、水和生物样品的高灵敏度元素和同位素分析。感应加热的高温（高达10,000 K）和快速完整地将样品引入电离环境，导致大多数物种的解离和电离效率很高。ICP源的高电离效率与双聚焦磁扇形分析仪提供的背景和分辨率的最新改进相结合，将提供UT Austin以前无法获得的分析能力。这些能力包括对许多元素在千万亿分之一到万亿分之一范围内的检测极限，这将为我们正在进行的重建气候变化记录、沉积盆地和含水层的发展、矿物风化和岩浆演化等研究项目开辟许多新的途径。这些新途径包括研究低水平的微量金属浓度，如天然水体和标记颗粒中的稀土元素；地下水矿床的高空间分辨率化学和U-Th辐射年龄数据；矿物风化的生物控制；火成岩矿物相微量元素取代。预计该分析设施将用于德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校和德克萨斯州其他大学和研究机构的地质、生物和化学科学的教师、研究生和博士后研究人员的研究和研究培训。目前资助的和未来的研究工作将利用ICP-MS技术提供的新的分析能力。＊＊＊

9871301 Banner This Major Research Instrumentation Program grant provides funds for one-half of the cost of a high-resolution, magnetic sector inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for the Department of Geological Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. This instrument will be used in conjunction with existing analytical clean room and mass spectrometer facilities for high-sensitivity elemental and isotopic analysis of rock, mineral, water, and biological samples. The high temperature (up to 10,000 K) of the inductive heating and the rapid and complete introduction of the sample to the ionizing environment result in a high efficiency of dissociation and ionization for most species. The coupling of the high ionization efficiency of the ICP source with the recent improvements in background and resolution afforded by a double-focusing, magnetic sector analyzer, will provide previously unavailable analytical capabilities at UT Austin. These capabilities include detection limits in the part-per-quadrillion to part-per- trillion range for many elements, which will open many new avenues to be pursued in our ongoing research programs in reconstructing records of climate change, the development of sedimentary basins and aquifers, mineral weathering, and magmatic evolution. These new avenues include investigations of low-level trace metal concentrations such as the rare earth elements in natural waters and labeled particles; high-spatial resolution chemical and U-Th radiometric age data on groundwater mineral deposits; the biological control on mineral weathering; and trace element substitution in igneous mineral phases. It is anticipated that this analytical facility will be used for research and research training by faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral research fellows in the geological, biological, and chemical sciences at UT Austin and other universities and research institutions in Texas. Currently funded and future research efforts will take advantage of the new analytical capabilities offered by the ICP-MS technology. ***