Instrumentation

PCIGR is equipped with 6 inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (MC- or HR-ICP-MS), 4 thermal ionization mass spectrometers (TIMS), 2 stable isotope ratio mass spectrometers, a noble gas mass spectrometer, and 2 laser ablation systems.

In 2013, PCIGR had the first Nu Plasma 1700—an extended geometry high-resolution multi-collector ICP-MS—installed in Canada. At that time, our Nu Plasma 1700 was just the fifth of its kind in the world. The latest TIMS instrument was designed as part of a collaborative development project with Nu Instruments Ltd. (UK), and in 2014 was the first TIMS to be commercially produced by Nu.

The facility also includes 3 low-level trace metal Class 1000 cleanrooms with Class 100 laminar flow hoods. With its 15 state-of-the-art instruments, sample preparation laboratories and resident research and support teams, PCIGR is among the best-equipped geochemical mass spectrometric facilities worldwide.