Acquisition of a High Resolution, Magnetic Sector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) Facility for the University of Notre Dame.

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EAR-0321161NealThe University of Notre Dame quadrupole ICP-MS has been in operation for 11 years and has developed a reputation for excellence in trace element analysis of a variety of materials. This proposal requests funds to upgrade this facility with the purchase a high-resolution magnetic sector field ICP-MS (ELEMENT2), a 213 nm laser ablation unit, an ion chromatograph, autosampling capabilities, a low flow sample introduction apparatus, a dual alpha spectrometer, and HEPA-filtration of the ICP exhaust so low-level radioactive samples can be analyzed. The new facility will be overseen by a full time, university employed laboratory manager already in place who has over 15 years of experience in ICP analytical techniques. The new facility will significantly expand the research capabilities at Notre Dame, in Indiana, and the surrounding states. The justification for this proposal is that research projects being conducted have progressed to the point where the analyses now required are beyond the capabilities of a quadrupole ICP-MS, the 266 nm laser ablation unit does not give accurate depth profiles (pits are not flat bottomed) and pits smaller than ~25 micrometers are not possible, and there is no capability for speciation or "low-flow" studies. Research projects waiting to use the new facility include Stabilization of Actinide-Rich Radioactive Waste, Phytoremediation of Actinides & Sc, Chemical Inputs to Groundwater, Platinum-Group Element (PGE) Pollution from Catalytic Converters, Lunar Evolution, PGEs in Plume-Derived Basalts, Late Veneer Studies of the Terrestrial Planets, Acid Mine Drainage, Geomicrobiology, Biogeochemical Weathering, Bioavailability of Heavy Metals, Cancer Research, Toxic Metals in Dietary Supplements/Herbal Medicines, Crystal Stratigraphy, Tectonothermal Evolution of the SW Pacific, Element Mobility in Alpine Basins, and Speciation Studies. The new facility will enhance the outreach efforts of the new Environmental Molecular Science Institute at Notre Dame, which has initiated a minority summer research program for high school juniors and a REU program for under-rep-resented students. The relatively new graduate program in the geosciences (est. 1994) continues to grow and emphasis is placed upon getting graduate students to make use of the new ICP-MS facility as part of their research. We plan to use the old quadrupole ICP-MS as a teaching facility for undergraduate and graduate students. Within 2-3 years, we hope to expand this to make the PQII the cornerstone of a capstone analytical course for science and engineering majors.