Equipment - Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
Assymetric-flow field-flow fractionation
System Eclipse 3+ for aqueous solvents with GPC option,
light-scattering detector Dawn Helios 8+ & diferential refractometer Optilab rEx
Manufacturer: Wyatt Technologies
A system for separation of proteins, nanoparticles and microparticles, aggregates and polymers according to their size in the absence of a stationary phase and under negligible shear combined with determination of their size and molecular weight. Both soluble and colloidal polymers can be separated and characterized over a wide size range. Adsorption of samples is minimize due to the absence of a stationary phase. A size-exclusion-chromatography mode is also available.
Modular system for size exclusion chromatography
pump Deltachrom (Watrex Comp.), autosampler Midas
detectors: light-scattering DAWN Helleos II (Wyatt Technologies), viscozity TriSEC TDA 301 (Viscotek), refraktometer Optilab t-rEX (Wyatt Technologies) a evaporativ light scattering PL ELS 1000 (Polymer Laboratories)
Size-exclusion chromatography a.k.a. gel-permeation chromatography is a principal method for determination molecular-weight distribution (MWD) of disperse polymer samples. The set of detectors is suitable for any of basic methods of MWD determination – calibration by polymer standards, universal calibration or absolute determination from light scattering. Concurrent determination of MWD and of size distribution gives information on branching of polymer chains.
MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer ultrafleXtreme
Manufacturer: Bruker Daltonik
The instrument can determine molecular weights upto 1000 kDa at FWHM resolution of 1200 and precision 50 ppm on external calibration; in the reflectron mode upto 100 kDa at FWHM resolution of 25000 and precision 5 ppm on external calibration. Determination of average molecular weights polymers is restricted to sample of low dispersity (<1.2). Information on structure of molecules is possible to obtain from MS/MS experiments analyzing fragments obtained by LID, CID or ISD.
Gass chromatograph Clarus 680 with mass spectrometer Clarus SQ 8 T
Pyrolyser: CDS Pyroprobe Model 5150 (CDS Analytical)
Head-space sampler: TurboMatrix 110
Manufacturer: Perkin Elmer
Addition of a pyrolyser and headspace sampler to gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer combination greatly enhances their use in polymer science. Besides traditional purity check and admixture identification of solvents and monomers, information on low-molecular-weight additives polymer and on polymer composition can be obtained.
CHNS/O FlashSmart Elemental Analyzer
Manufacturer: Thermo Scientific
The instrument is equipped with two totally independent furnaces. For CHNS determination, the dynamic flash combustion of the sample is used. For oxygen determination, the system operates in pyrolysis mode. The resulted gases are catalytically reduced, chromatographically separated on GC column, and detected with a thermal conductivity detector.
Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer XEPOS
Manufacturer: Spectro Analytical Instruments
The instrument routinely analyzes solid, powder or liquid samples for wide range of elements from sodium to uranium.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry NexION 2000 B
Manufacturer: Perkin Elmer
The sample is introduced into the argon plasma as an aerosol, dries and dissociates into atoms, from which the electrons are removed. The resulting singly charged ions are directed to a quadrupole mass spectrometer, through which at any given time only ions with a certain mass-to-charge ratio are allowed to pass to the detector, and to be quantified. The method makes possible to determine most elements of the periodic table (with the exception of H, He, C, N, F, Ne, Ar), while moving the detection limits to the ppt region, i.e. concentration ratios of 1:1012.