Geochemistry - Mineralogy Platform

From sampling to characterization

ISTerre’s Geochemistry-Mineralogy platform brings together tools and know-how for preparation, synthesis, chemical analysis and characterization of synthetic or natural samples.

It was initially developed to meet the experimental and analytical needs of ISTerre’s Geochemistry and Mineralogy teams. Seven permanent engineers are attached to this platform.

The equipment of this platform represents a total value of approximately 3 M€ and occupies 600 m2 of experimental surfaces. Although 80% of this platform is used for ISTerre’s scientific projects, it is accessible to the laboratories of the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), to the laboratories of the Grenoble campus and occasionally to external services. It is also part of the French Geochemical and Experimental Network (REGEF) set up by INSU (CNRS).



SAMPLE PREPARATION

– Handling of air-sensitive and CO2-sensitive samples, pellets preparation
– Stirred hydrothermal reactors
– Acidic digestion, handling of HF, isotope purification
—> Geochemistry clean room
– Cutting, polishing, embedding, coating (Au, C)
– Separation of clay fractions, oriented deposition, milling powders…
– P2 Biological laboratory for environmental ADN extraction

SYNTHESIS AND SOLIDE-SOLUTION INTERACTION

– Synthesis
– Purification of natural samples
– Solide-Solution interactions
– Instrumental tools

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Major and Traces in solution
– ICP-AES
– ICP-MS
– Ionic chromatography
– Acid Volatile Sulfides (AVS) & Simultaneaously Extracted Metals (SEM)
– Gas mass spectrometer
– Field analysis natural waters & sediments
– Sampling equipments

Monitoring in situ
– Titration setups
– UV-VIS Cary 300 Agilent

Carbon/Nitrogen
– Dissolved carbon (TC, DOC, DIC) & nitrogen (TN)
– δ13C

Mercury (Hg, MeHg)
– Dissolved Hg (total, gaseous)
– Dissolved MeHg (hydruration/ethylation)
– Solid Hg
– Gaseous Hg

SOLID PHASE CHARACTERIZATIONS

Thermal and surface analysis:
– Thermal analysis: TGA-DSC
– Gas sorption and textural properties
– Hydrodynamic diameter and Zeta Potential

Spectroscopies:
– Raman spectrometer
– Spectroscopy FTIR

Structural analysis:
– 2 X-ray diffractometers

Microscopies:
– Optical Microscopy
– Scanning Electron Microscopy
– Atomic Force Microscopy
– µFluorescence X