science study and research
After two years of writing proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a grant to fund an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) machine, the instrument described as the "bread and butter" in inorganic chemical analysis has arrived.
The ICP machine, according to Matthew Gorring of Earth and Environmental Science, can analyze the liquid forms of rock, water and soil, and can even analyze air samples. "Once rock or soil is put into liquid form it can be analyzed," Gorring explained. "The instrument also can analyze particles in the air."
The NSF partially funded the $125,000 machine. "We wrote the proposals and then went to Washington, D.C. to meet with NSF officers. It took two years of work, but we finally got it," Gorring said.
According to Gorring (pictured), the ICP machine is a valuable asset in research and teaching. "We did not have quantitative instruments before the ICP machine," he said. "We had to go off campus to analyze water, soil, rocks and air. The ICP machine is being used as a research and educational tool as we integrate it into courses through projects and work. This machine is the bread and butter in inorganic chemical analysis, and is considered a workhorse for basic chemical analysis. Within the northern New Jersey universities, I think Montclair State is the only one with an ICP machine."
Gorring explained how the instrument works: First, a sample is put into
a high-temperature plasma or gas. When the atoms relax, they give off
light, which is separated into wavelengths by spectrometry, making it
possible to measure the inorganic chemical makeup of a substance. The
sample is then compared to a known standard sample for a quantitative
analysis.
Gorring said there has been increased enthusiasm for learning and research since the instrument arrived. "Students now have the opportunity to use a high-tech instrument and they get excited about it," he said. "It is being used in upper level geo-science, environmental science and chemistry classes. In some introductory classes it is being used for demonstration purposes, such as running water samples."
Renata Bailey of Chemistry and Biochemistry is one of several faculty utilizing the machine. "The availability of the ICP has made it possible to conduct a number of research projects requiring a method to determine the concentrations of trace metals," she said. "This has opened up new opportunities for students doing independent research projects as well as for faculty in teaching classes."
Bailey and several students have been working on a project that involves examining the variability of trace metals in soils at the New Jersey School of Conservation and in other parts of Stokes State Forest. She also is conducting research, funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, that examines the feasibility of filtration in analyzing ground water samples for lead. The instrument can trace toxic heavy metals in water, including lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, selenium, iron, copper and aluminum.
"The availability of a modern instrument, such as the ICP, to conduct trace metal analysis gives the students experience using an instrumental method that is found in many commercial laboratories, making these students more desirable to potential employers."
"The ICP machine is an important piece of equipment," Gorring said. "This is a great start and a platform to bigger and better things for faculty and students."