Metals Environmental and Terrestrial Analytical Laboratory (METAL)

The Metals, Environmental and Terrestrial Analytical Laboratory (METAL) is a shared-use facility available to all research staff, faculty, and students of all disciplines, within ASU, other universities, and commercial groups. Our laboratories house a collection of analytical instruments and preparative equipment for quantitative analysis supporting environmental and ecological research, among many other fields. Our instrumentation can support colorimetric/flow-injection, elemental analysis, surface area and porosity, gas phase carbon isotope analysis, ion chromatography, isotopic analysis of greenhouse gases, isotope-ratio mass spectrometry of light elements, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of much of the periodic table. We specialize in measuring radiogenic and mass-dependent metal isotopes by multi-collector inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Staff are committed to providing the tools necessary to meet the analytical needs of researchers while creating a valuable educational experience for users. Although most users prefer to receive individualized hands-on training enabling them to perform their own analyses, complete analytical services are also available. If you are have questions about laboratory capabilities, or a project you would like to discuss, please contact METAL_ASU@asu.edu. 

More Information

Visit the Metals, Environmental and Terrestrial Analytical Laboratory for details on equipment and services. 

Social media

Follow us on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/metalasu, on X as @MetalAsu, and on Youtube at @metalatasu8626.

Location & Hours of Operation

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM

NOTE: METAL will be closed Monday, December 23rd 2024 through January 1st, 2025. Select instrumentation MAY be available for highly trained users. Please contact staff prior to December 18th if you will need argon or liquid nitrogen for your analyses. Staff support will not be available.

Facility is available to trained users by SunCard access 24/7. Users are advised to never work alone in the lab. 

Leadership

Protocols & Procedures

Click HERE to access:

• More information about our facility and instrumentation
• Equipment Operating Procedures
• Best Practices
• Sample Prep Methods
• Calculation Tools
• General Lab Use Protocols
• Quality Control Guides

Proposal and Publications 

Acknowledgment Guidelines

Core Facilities: If research submitted for publication makes use of a facility or service, we ask that you recognize the facility in the ‘Acknowledgements’ section of the manuscript.

Core Equipment: In some cases, equipment acquired by a grant must be listed in the ‘Materials and Methods’ section including the specific instrument grant award number.

Core Personnel: If an individual has provided support through advanced training, sample preparation or guidance in data acquisition or analysis, please recognize this individual in the acknowledgement section of the manuscript, as well as the core.  If an individual is asked to make a significant intellectual contribution to research submitted for publication, please discuss co-authorship with that individual when engaging them in the research project.

Sample Text For Acknowledging the Metals, Environmental and Terrestrial Analytical Laboratory

The authors acknowledge resources and support from the Metals, Environmental and Terrestrial Analytical Laboratory, part of the Eyring Materials Center Core Facility at Arizona State University.

Sample Text for Acknowledging Core Personnel

We would like to acknowledge [person’s name] from the Metals, Environmental and Terrestrial Analytical Laboratory, part of theEyring Materials Center Core Facility at Arizona State University for [describe assistance/contributions].

Proposal

If you would like a letter of support for your proposal, at least two weeks before the letter is needed please provide a detailed explanation of the sample type, analytical data desired, including estimated concentrations for the analytes of interest and precision required. This will allow sufficient time for staff to review your needs and make sure we can meet them as well as provide a cost estimate.

Contacts

Available Equipment and Resources