Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies
Chemistry Division

HRC >> Chemistry >> Research Capabilities

Research Capabilities

The analytical laboratory has the capability of measuring elemental concentrations, isotopic ratios, and/or chemical compositions of samples in a variety of environmental media, including soil, rock, groundwater, surface water, air particulates, and biota. To that end, the HRC laboratory is equipped with numerous state-of-the-art instruments and highly qualified personnel capable of making such measurements.

• Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometers (ICP-MS)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)
• Laser Ablation (LA)
• Ion Chromatograph (IC)
• High Performance Liquid Chromatographs (HPLC) with UV and fluorescence detectors
• Mercury-specific analyzers

In summary, the laboratory supports a variety of environmental research programs through accurate and precise analytical measurements. Of particular interest are ultra-trace elemental, isotopic, and speciation determinations. The laboratory also contains other equipment needed for trace elemental analyses, including a microwave digestion system, a block digester, a laminar flow hood, and a nano- pure deionized (DI) water producing system (>18MW).In addition, the laboratory has an extensive quality assurance program to ensure reliable results.

The laboratory is State of Nevada certified for metals in drinking water and U.S Environmental Protection Agency certified for perchlorate.