Cosmogenic Nuclides sample Preparation Lab

Pre-treatment of river sediment and soil samples for cosmogenic isotope analyses (10Be, 26Al) includes purification steps to obtain pure quartz sands prior to dissolution and element separation by ion chromatography column chemistry. From sieved samples, minerals are separated by magnetic separation and/or heavy liquids, and silicate and oxide minerals are chemically separated from quartz by leaching with acids (HF, HCl, HNO3) at elevated temperatures.