Ionchromatography - Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

• Subject Area: Water Research
• Term: Funded in 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 553904241

As part of the appointment of Prof. Dr. Stefan Norra to the Chair of Soil Science and Geoecology at the University of Potsdam, it was agreed with the President and Chancellor of the university to substantially expand the existing soil chemistry laboratory to include a mass spectrometry department. This department will consist of an ion chromatography -iductively coupled mass spectrometer (IC-ICPMS), an elemental analyzer - isotope mass spectrometer and a thermo-gravimetry/dynamic-difference-calometry/difference-thermal analyzer connected to a mass spectrometer. This laboratory will act as a new analytical center not only for the Department of Soil Science and Geoecology, but for the entire Institute of Environmental Sciences and Geography as well as other research groups in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, such as the Institute of Geosciences or Chemistry. In addition to soil research, environmental hydrochemical research and aquatic biogeochemistry will be other specific focuses of this center. This application focuses on funding the IC-ICPMS. The IC-ICPMS consists of two instruments operating in a combined mode. The ion chromatograph (IC) enables to separate different ions and ionic compounds from a dissolved phase and to measure their composition and concentration. This instrument is often used for major anions such as sulfate, but can also be used for major cations with the appropriate separation columns. However, trace analyzes of anions and cations are often not detectable with the detectors supplied with ion chromatographs. Such anions are, for example, AsO43-, SeO42- or SbO42-. Organic compounds of these ions often only occur in traces that cannot be detected by a single IC. The solution to detect these traces is to connect the IC to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS), which has the ability to detect such trace concentrations. The IC is used to separate the analytes. The concentration is then measured using the ICPMS. Here, the ICPMS can only analyze the element itself. In combination, both instruments enable deeper insights into the dynamics of anions and cations and their compounds in the dissolved phase (oxyanion complexes, cationic complexes, organic complexes). This is particularly important for the applying working group in order to reveal the occurrences of the various redox-sensitive ion complexes under different redox states or to distinguish organic ion complexes, such as organic arsenic compounds (e.g. MMA, DMA: monomethylarsonic and dimethylarsenic acid). Furthermore, the analysis of inorganic complexes of arsenic (arsenate, arsenite, thioarsenates), molybdenum or chromium species or various phosphorus species are also of great importance for the group's research approaches from the perspectives of element flows, nutrient supply and pollutant loads in soils, waters, sediments and aerosols.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Ionenchromatographie – Massenspektrometer mit induktiv gekoppeltem Plasma
• Instrumentation Group: 1700 Massenspektrometer
• Applicant Institution: Universität Potsdam
• Leader: Professor Dr. Stefan Norra