This lab is dedicated to mineral synthesis and other experiments using mostly inorganic chemistry or hydrothermal synthesis methods. The lab is equipped with standard chemical laboratory equipment such as analytical balance, centrifuge, fume hood, furnaces, hotplate stirrers, ovens, dry block heater, pH meters as well as reflux setups and sonicator bath. Hydrothermal synthesis is possible in closed Teflon lined cells heated either conductively or by microwave irradiation.

This lab is dedicated for the synthesis of redox-active iron mineral phases, as well as their interaction with redox-sensitive trace elements (e.g., As, Cr,) and anaerobic microbes, under oxygen-limited conditions. It is equipped with two anaerobic chamber workstations, setup for liquid degassing to remove O₂, sample autodiluter for trace element analysis and standard chemical laboratory equipment such as analytical balance, centrifuge, fume hood, hotplate stirrer, shaking incubator, oven and …

In the Gas Chromatography Lab whole oil analyzes are performed with special attention to saturated hydrocarbons, highly volatile organic compounds, and lipid fractions (e.g. fatty acids, alcohols, sterols).

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).

Brillouin-Interferometry
Knowledge of the elastic properties of geomaterials at high P-T conditions plays a central role in determining the composition of the Earth's interior. The Brillouin interferometer at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences enables us to determine the sound wave velocities in minerals, glasses and liquids. For this purpose, we use so-called Brillouin scattering, i.e. the inelastic scattering of laser light by thermally activated lattice vibrations (phonons) in …

Within the research group CLEAR we endeavor to understand large scale geological processes that operate deep inside planets. Our approach is to recreate high pressure-temperature conditions in the laboratory and examine various physical properties of minerals and rocks (in situ) using state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques. Specifically, we use statically- and dynamically-heated diamond anvil cells together with a pulsed time-resolved broadband optical probe and a precisely-synchronized …

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a method of thermal analysis for determining the amount of heat released or consumed by a sample at a defined temperature change. For this purpose, a container with sample material and an empty reference container are simultaneously exposed to the same temperature regime. During the investigated process (phase changes and/or chemical reactions), energy is consumed or released by the sample. These exothermic or endothermic processes are mirrored by …

The Environmental Mineralogy Labs are equipped with a very diverse suite of spectroscopic and scattering instruments to determine material chemical composition, structure, surface area and grain size of both synthetic and natural samples. For instance,

• Our powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD) consists of two individual instruments capable of X-ray scattering analysis using both Cu (λ=1.54 Å) and Ag radiation (λ=0.56 Å) in transmission geometry. XRD can be used to analyze both crystalline …

The EleMap Lab is devoted to in situ analyses of minor and trace elements in minerals and other geological materials. We have a Teledyne Analyte Excite 193 nm excimer laser coupled to a Thermo Scientific iCAP RQ quadrupole ICP-MS and a Thermo Scientific iCAP TQ quadrupole ICP-MS, which can filter masses through the use of a reaction cell (MS/MS). The Laser system delivers a fully homogenized laser beam which ensures uniform ablation across the entire range of spot sizes with ns pulse length (< …

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, …