Analytical Chemistry Testing

Instrumentation used in Determining Chemical Compositions

These instruments are some of the ones used in our chemical analysis testing. All testing instrumentation is regularly maintained in-house or by an ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 accredited third party.

Wet Chemistry

Wet chemistry is a form of analytical chemistry which is generally performed on samples in the liquid phase. However, it can apply to solids, sediments and waste. Techniques performed typically include Colorimetry, Titrimetry and Gravimetry.

A lot of the tests are used to measure the quality of water. Conti Testing is accredited for testing non-potable water which includes surface water, ground water and waste water.

Tests such as Total solids measure the amount of suspended and dissolved solids in the water. In conjunction with Total solids, Turbidity is the measure of the clarity of a liquid. The higher the turbidity, the higher the total solids contained in the liquid.
Turbidity is a key test of water quality.

Leaching Procedures

We offer several leaching procedures to simulate certain environmental scenarios. These procedures include:

1) Shake extraction for leaching of solid waste to obtain an aqueous solution used to determine what materials are leached.
2) TCLP to simulate leaching through a landfill and SPLP to simulate exposure to normal weathering by acid rain.

ICP-OES

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) is used for analyzing the elemental composition of a material.  It is a type of emission spectroscopy that uses the inductively coupled plasma to produce excited atoms and ions that emit electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths characteristic of a particular element.

Elements analyzed during a typical ICP Trace Elements scan:
Al, Sb, As, Ba, Be, B, Cd, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, K, Se, Ag, Na, Sr, Sn, Ti, V, Zn

Elements analyzed during a typical ICP Major & Minor Elements scan:
Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, P, K, Si, Na, Sr, S, Ti Reported as Elemental Oxides

ICP-MS

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) atomizes the sample and creates atomic ions, which are then detected. It is capable of detecting metals and several non-metals in liquid samples at very low concentrations. Compared to ICP-OES, ICP-MS has greater speed, precision and sensitivity.

Rare earth elements include the following:
Cerium (Ce), Dysprosium (Dy), Erbium (Er), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Holmium (Ho), Lanthanum (La), Lutetium (Lu), Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), Promethium (Pm), Samarium (Sm), Scandium (Sc), Terbium (Tb), Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), Yttrium (Y)

Spectrophotometry

Spectrophotometry is a measurement of the reflection or transmission properties of a material as a function of wavelength. It’s the analysis of molecules on how much light is absorbed by colored compounds. From this, the spectrophotometer is able to determine what substances are present in a sample and exactly how much through calculations of observed wavelengths.

Conti Testing utilizes the Hach DR3900 spectrophotometer for water analysis.

Ion Chromatography (IC)

The Ion Chromatograph is used to measure the concentrations of major anions, which are negatively charged ions. It does this by separating ions based upon their interactions with resin and the eluent.

Typical samples analyzed include: wastewater, groundwater, leachates, surface water and reagent waters.

Gas Chromatography (GC)

Elemental gases are made of single element atoms. Examples include: Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen.

Compound gases are formed in nature out of biochemical processes. These gases are combinations of two or more elements. Examples include: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Sulfur Dioxide and Ammonia.

Reformed gas is a lower-thermal-value fuel gas made by pyrolysis and steam decomposition of high-thermal-value natural gases. Examples include: Methane, Ethane, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Ethylene and Acetylene.

Elemental Analyzers

The elemental analyzers utilize combustion analysis to determine C/H/N/S in organic samples. Common materials analyzed include coal, coke, oil, rubber, plant materials and waste.

We are also capable of determining sulfur in inorganic samples, such as limestone. Inorganic compounds are generally those that do not contain carbon.

Mercury is determined via an independent direct mercury analyzer. Analysis can be done on solid, liquid and gas samples.