Bramchem Testing Lab

Bramchem has added two additional instrumentation to further increase analytical capabilities.

Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) is one of the most powerful and popular analytical tools for the determination of trace elements. The technique is based upon the spontaneous emission of photons from atoms and ions that have been excited. Liquid and gas samples may be injected directly into the instrument, while solid samples require extraction or acid digestion so that the analytes will be present in a solution. The sample solution is converted to an aerosol and directed into the central channel of the plasma.
At its core the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sustains a temperature of approximately 10 000 K, so the aerosol is instantly vaporized. The elements are liberated as free atoms in the gas state. Sufficient energy is often available to convert the atoms to ions and subsequently promote the ions to excited states. Both the atomic and ionic excited state species may then relax to the ground state via the emission of a photon. These photons have characteristic energies that are determined by the energy level structure for the atoms or ions. The wavelength of the photons can be used to identify the elements from which they originated. The total number of photons is directly proportional to the concentration of the originating element in the sample.

Below is a list of application areas of ICP/OES.

Agricultural and food - Animal tissues, beverages, feeds, fertilizers, garlic, nutrients, pesticides, plant materials, rice flour, soils, vegetables, wheat flour

Biological and clinical - Brain tissue, blood, bone, bovine liver, f***s, fishes, milk powder, orchard leaves, pharmaceuticals, pollen, serum, urine

Geological - Coal, minerals, fossils, fossil fuel, ore, rocks, sediments, soils, water

Environmental and water - Brines, coal fly ash, drinking water, dust, mineral water, municipal wastewater, plating bath, sewage sludge, slags, seawater, soil

Metals Alloys - Aluminum, high-purity metals, iron, precious metals, solders, steel, tin

Organic - Adhesives, amino acids, antifreeze, combustion materials, cosmetics, cotton cellulose, dried wood, dyes, elastomers, epoxy, lubricant, organometallic, organophosphates, oils, organic solvent, polymers, sugars

Other materials - Acids, carbon, catalytic materials, electronics, fiber, film, packaging materials, paints and coatings, phosphates, semiconductors, superconducting materials

FTIR or Infrared Spectroscopy Capabilities;

Identifies chemical bond functional groups by their characteristic absorption of infrared radiation in vibrational modes.
May be used in transmission mode or attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode.

Especially capable of identifying the chemical bonds of organic materials (solid, liquid or gas).

Thus can provide the following useful information;

• Identification of polymers and additives
• Determination of contaminants
• Quality control
• Qualitative oxidation determination in lubricants
• Material verification
• Comparative analysis

Thermal Analysis

BTL Inc. is capable of providing clients with information towards understanding thermal transitions of various organics (polymeric) materials using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) that are capable of identifying the following properties:

• Melting Points
• Glass Transition (TG)
• Crystallization Point
• Curing Properties
• Oxidation Temperatures
• Heat Capacity and Specific Heat
• Heat of Fusion and Reaction
• Purity
• Rate of Evaporation
• Thermal Decomposition
• Thermal Stability