Acquisition of a Microwave Digestion System for Geochemical and Geochronological Applications

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0549552WidomThis project involves the acquisition of a microwave digestion system and the development of microwave sample preparation techniques for geochemical and geochronological applications. The microwave digestion system provides a safe, clean and efficient mechanism for digestion of diverse geologic materials for high precision trace element abundance and isotope ratio measurements, and allows for increased sample throughput afforded by substantially faster digestion and dry-down times. The microwave digestion system is particularly important as an alternative to Carius tube digestions for rhenium-osmium isotope and platinum group element studies, and as an alternative to teflon bomb digestions for dissolution of resistant phases (e.g. zircon, pyrochlore, spinel, chromite, fluorite) for trace element, uranium series disequilibria and samarium-neodymium geochronology studies. This equipment is used extensively in diverse on-going funded research projects involving Geology faculty and graduate and undergraduate students at Miami University. In addition, the microwave system is used for teaching in courses with lab-based exercises to train students in sample dissolution techniques and state-of-the-art analytical techniques including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and thermal ionization mass spectrometry.