For quantification of organic (e.g. acetate, formate) and inorganic anions (e.g. chloride, sulfate) in aqueous samples ion exchange chromatography is used.
The quantification of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aqueous samples and chromatographic separation of the DOC into different fractions and quantification of these fractions in aqueous samples is done via liquid chromatography – organic carbon detection (LC-OCD).

The ElMiE Lab is a research-oriented facility and part of the Helmholtz center in Potsdam. The ElMiE – Lab offers the sample preparation and analyses of geological or environmental inorganic samples for element concentrations and mineralogy of inorganic materials. Laboratories and instruments associated with the ElMiE Lab include the XRD, XRF, …

Microorganisms interact with their environment as they produce and and consume dissolved compounds that will therefore become depleted or enriched in their surrounding, mainly in the pore water. Analysis of dissolved compounds is therefore a prerequisite for understanding microbial activity in geologic settings. Another major focus of our work in on direct detection of microbial turnover via the use of radioisotopes as those offer unsurpassed sensitivity. As microbial abundance and activity …

Within HELGES we have a ISO 6 metal-free clean laboratory, dedicated entirely to blank-sensitive metal(loid) geochemistry. Numerous ISO 4 laminar flow hoods are available for the preparation of wide-ranging sample substrates for non-traditional stable isotope and concentration analysis, along with other essential infrastructure like a centrifuge, ultrasonic bath, microbalance, hotplates etc. Protocols established in the lab include (but are not limited to) Li, B, Mg, Si, K, Fe, Ni, Zn, Sr, and …

Samples of all kinds are pretreated in our sample preparation laboratories. Samples are usually first dried, sieved or separated into magnetic or non-magnetic components in a magnetic separator based on their magnetic properties. Separation based on different mineral densities is also carried out here. Rock samples are ground in a ball mill and then further processed in the clean room laboratory using wet chemical methods.

In the case of cosmogenic nuclide samples for the in situ-produced …

Ion chromatography is used to analyze anions in aqueous solutions. This physical-chemical separation process is based on the distribution of the substance into a mobile fluid phase and a solid stationary phase. We analyze mostly chloride (Cl⁻), fluoride (F⁻), bromide (Br⁻), sulfate (SO₄²⁻) and nitrate (NO₃⁻) in our Thermo Scientific Dionex ICS-1100 Ion chromatograph.
The IC Lab is associated to the ElMiE Lab. Information on how to apply …

The Isotope Geochemistry Labs are equipped with a clean room facility (including several low-blank chemistry laboratories (class 100), sample preparation and ion-exchange chromatography, a set up for isotope systems: Pb, U-Pb, Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd as well as B and Li isotopes), two thermal ionization mass-spectrometers (TIMS) and a multi-collector mass-spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma source (MC-ICP-MS).