Directory of scientists

• Microwave-assisted acid digestion
• UV irradiation
• Open and closed-pressurized vessel digestion
• High pressure autoclave for the mineralization of human matrices such as brain, liver, whole blood, plasma/serum, urine, pleural and knee-joint effusions, human milk and infant formulae as well as various plant materials, coal, sediments and peat samples

Analytical Methods for the Determination of Trace Elements

Development, optimization and evaluation of analytical procedures for the determination of trace elements in biological and environmentally relevant specimens predominantly with 

• quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS)
• magnetic sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (high-resolution ICP-MS)
•  hydride generation - atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS)

Speciation Analysis of Elemental Compounds

Identification and quantification of naturally occurring organometallic antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) compounds by online coupling of

• high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) - ICP-MS
• high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) - HG-AAS

Environmental Geochemistry of Trace Elements

• global cycles of trace elements
• peat bogs as archives of atmospheric metal deposition

Biological Trace Element Research

Elucidation of the fate of trace elements envolving

• medical and clinical chemistry
• environmental analysis
• biomonitoring
• statistical data treatment
• medical interpretation of the analytical results

• Sample preparation laboratory, class 10.000
• Laminar flow benches, clean-air cabinets, class 100
• Clean laboratory, class 100
• High-purity water system (Milli-Q Academic, Millipore)
• Ultrapure water system for trace analysis (Milli-Q Element, Millipore)
• Sub-boiling distillation system (duoPUR, MLS)
• Microwave muffle oven (MLS-1200 PYRO Microwave Ashing System, MLS)
• Microwave-assisted acid digestion (Ethos PLUS Microwave Labstation System, MLS)
• High-pressure autoclave (ultraCLAVE II Microwave Autoclave, MLS)
• Electronic moisture analyzer (MA 100, Sartorius)

Direct elemental analysis of solid samples

• Carbon - sulphur analyzer (SC 144, Leco)
• X-ray fluorescence spectrometers (microEMMA for individual particles, mineral grains; macroEMMA for bulk samples: Ti to U; OLIVIA with high sensitivity for single element analyses; NASTIA for Ti - all home-made by Dr. A. Cheburkin)
• Raster electron microscope, REM (type 440, Leo) plus EDX system (LINK-ISIS, Oxford Instruments)
• Direct mercury analyzer (AMA 254, Leco)
   

Elemental analysis of solid samples using acid digestion

• Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer, ET-AAS (AAS 5 EA, Analytik Jena)
• Flame atomic absorption spectrometer, FAAS (AAS 6 FL, Analytik Jena)
• Cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometer, CV-AAS (Thermo-Quest)
• Hydride generation and flow injection systems (Analytik Jena; FIAS 200, Perkin Elmer)
• Sector field-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer, SF-ICP-MS (Element2, Thermo Finnigan)
• Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer, ICP-OES (VISTA MPX, Varian)
• 2 Ion chromatographs (DX 120, DIONEX)
• Total organic carbon analyzer (TOC 5050, Shimadzu)
• UV-VIS photometer (Milton Roy)
   

Isotope Geochemistry

• Thermal ionization mass spectrometer, TIMS (MAT 261, Thermo Finnigan)
• Ultralow background gamma ray spectrometry (Canberra)
   

 Organic Environmental Geochemistry

• Gas chromatography - mass spectrometer, GC-MS (Saturn, Varian; Magnum Finnigan MAT)
• GC-MS-MS (Saturn 2000, Varian) + Tekmar Purge and Trap
• Gas chromatography - electron capture detection, GC-ECD (GC 8000, Fisons Instruments)
• High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, Kontron Instruments), autosampler, UV-VIS detector
• UV-VIS photometer (Dr. Lange)
• AOX instrument (Euroglas)