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Elemental Analysis Expertise and Services
The Environmental Analytical Core Facility (EACF) within the School for the Environment at UMass Boston works with remote and local customers from a variety of industries and academia, as well as students, faculty, and staff from the University of Massachusetts system.
About the Environmental Analytical Core Facility
We can help you with your analysis of nearly every element in the Periodic Table.
The Environmental Analytical Core Facility (EACF) at UMass Boston focuses on chemical elemental analysis of environmental samples (e.g., waters, soil samples, sediments, rocks, biological tissues) and manufactured materials (batteries, magnets, computer chips, semi-conductors, pharmaceuticals) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We specialize in the analysis of the rare earth elements (Sc, Y, and the lanthanide series) and other critical metals (also referred to as critical minerals) in environmental samples and manufactured materials. The staff of the EACF also has expertise in the measurement of potentially toxic trace elements such as arsenic, antimony, lead, chromium, vanadium, among others.
Among the EACF’s capabilities are measuring the chemical speciation of metals/metalloids in waters using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ICP-MS, chemical mapping of material surfaces by laser-ablation ICP-MS or scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). We can also determine the composition of microplastics in environment samples using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Nutrient analysis of natural water can be achieved within the EACF via ion chromatography, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, or flow injection analysis depending on your detection limit requirements.
Elemental Analysis Services
Let us help you solve your elemental analysis questions.
We can advise:
- environmental scientists involved in characterizing natural settings or those contaminated by anthropogenic activities,
- exploration geochemists interested in questions related to the exploration for precious metals and/or critical metals,
- biotech researchers developing new therapeutic drugs and/or drug delivery mechanisms,
- entrepreneurs developing or manufacturing materials for high tech and/or green energy products, or
- any other activity that requires knowledge of the chemical composition of materials of interest.
The EACF serves local and remote customers.
Samples can be mailed to us. Whether you are here in Massachusetts, out west in California, down south in Florida, to the north in Canada, or somewhere else, let's talk about what you need and how we can help.
Hourly Rates and Services
Citing Use of the EACF
Please cite the use of the Environmental Analytical Core Facility (EACF) and its grant support as part of US National Science Foundation grants DBI-1726828 and EAR-2034420 in your papers and presentations.
Contact Us
EACF Faculty and Staff
Karen Johannesson, PhD, EACF Director
Peng Ho, PhD, EACF Senior Scientist
Alan Abend, EACF Administration Director
Our Location
School for the Environment
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125