The Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) allows students to detect trace metals in solutions. The ICP-OES device heats samples to 4000K, forming plasma. Doing so causes atomic excitation, releasing light spectra unique to each element in the sample. The device detects and measures these light wavelengths, allowing students to correlate these wavelengths with specific elements present in the sample. Using the ICP-OES instrument, students can conduct analyses of environmental samples such as drinking water, soil, and vegetation, to determine the concentration of relevant metals.
| Topics/Standards it Teaches: | Emission spectroscopy, atomic excitation |
| Correlating High School Course: | Chemistry, Biology, Envrionmental Science, Physics |
| Interaction Mode: | Asynchronous |
The iLab Network is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant OCI-0753324. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations are those of the investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.