Instrument Laboratory

A specialized facility equipped for preparing dilutions and standards, supporting accurate calibration, precise analyses, and reliable results in Earth science research.

Location: KLB 204
Telephone: 56364
Laboratory Manager: Prof. Graham Shields

The Facility includes:

  • Agilent 7900 Single-quad ICP-MS + autosampler - analysis of elements in solution (ppt-ppb)
  • Bruker M90 ICP-MS + autosampler - analysis of elements in solution (ppt-ppb)
  • Varian 720 ICP-AES (axial configuration) + autosampler - analysis of elements in solution (ppm-ppb)
  • Thermo Integrion Ion-Chromatograph - analysis of anionic species in solution (eg... F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO4-).
  • Facilities for making dilutions and standards.

Prospective users from the Department of Earth Science may, if trained, undertake their own work in the laboratory. If technical assistance is required, they should fill out this Geochemistry Job Requisition Form and e-mail it to Prof. Graham Shields

Prospective Users from Departments other than Earth Sciences should note the following:

1] Enquiries about use of the facility must originate from a member of academic, research, or professional services, staff at UCL. For PhD work, requests must come from supervisors.

2] Earth Sciences will train academic staff, research staff, professional services staff, and PhD students, to use of the equipment so that user departments can then support their own needs.

     Training can be given only to those who have a need for medium- to long-term serious use of the facility. Such training is not available to serve intermittent use for analysis of small sample numbers: it is not time-effective to do so.

3] Neither MSc nor MSci students may use the Facility directly. They may attend an analytical session in the company of a trained user from their own department, if they wish to see how the facility works.

4] User departments must support their MSci and MSc projects using their own trained personnel; such support is not available from Earth Science staff.

5]  For any use, the nature of the samples and their method of preparation MUST be communicated in advance of analysis to the laboratory manager.

For all prospective users:

If you require use of the Facility and are a member of staff of UCL, please contact the laboratory manager, Prof. Graham Shields, to discuss the work proposed. Be prepared with details of numbers of samples, matrices in which samples are dissolved, concentrations elected, elements needed.

If you are a student (MSci, MSc, PhD) of UCL, ask you supervisor to contact the laboratory manager. Requests for assistance with student projects of all types must originate from supervisors.