DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES

Carbon Biogeochemistry Laboratory (Blair)

The C-Biogeochemistry Laboratory is designed for the study of organic matter from a range of geomatrices (soils, sediments and rocks). Analytical capabilities exist from the smallest molecule (CH₄) to insoluble macromolecules. The sample preparatory laboratory is equipped with a CEM MARS 5 microwave accelerated reaction system with extraction option, a Sorvall Legend RT+ refrigerated centrifuge, a Savant Speed-vac concentrator, a Labconco freeze-drier, and a Fisher Sonic dismembrator. The instrument laboratory has a Thermo Trace GC with liquid and headspace autosamplers, ECD and FID that is interfaced to a DSQ II MS with EI/CI positive and negative ion modes. The laboratory also has a Bruker TENSOR 37 FTIR [NIR/mid-IR] with a DTGS detector. The FTIR has ATR and DRIFT capabilities and can be used with a HYPERION microscope [mid-range and high sensitivity MCT detectors] for microscale transmission and reflectance analyses. A CDS 5200 Pyroprobe for macromolecular analyses is interfaced to the Trace-DSQ GCMS and the Bruker FTIR.