The ICP-OES facility is equipped with a PerkinElmer 4300DV ICP-OES and an AS93 Plus autosampler. A vapour generation manifold is also available for the determination of mercury and arsenic.
The instrument was first purchased in 2002, and is used to support a wide variety of academic and commercial projects, as well as individual PhD projects, and student practicals for the UHI Marine Science Degree.
The main applications are as follows:

• The determination of major elements in marine sediment (Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr and Ti).
• The determination of minor and trace elements in marine sediment (Co, Cr, Cu, La, Li, Ni, P, Pb, Sc, V, Y, Yb, Zn, Zr).
• The determination of major and minor elements in porewater (K, Mg, Ba, Fe, Mn, Sr).
• The determination of Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in coral aragonite for palaeoclimate reconstruction.