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Department 3 Geochemistry

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Analytical GC & LC

In the Chromatography Lab whole oil analyzes are performed with special attention to saturated hydrocarbons, highly volatile organic compounds, and lipid fractions (e.g. fatty acids, alcohols, sterols).
Aqueous Chemistry

For quantification of organic (e.g. acetate, formate) and inorganic anions (e.g. chloride, sulfate) in aqueous samples ion exchange chromatography is used.

The quantification of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aqueous samples and chromatogra…
Bioinformatic Laboratories

Bioinformatics is an essential component for high-precision analyses of microbial communities, active genes and the reconstruction of new genomes. Our laboratory uses a variety of open-source software and contribute to develop new software solution …
CLEAR Lab "The Color of the Earth's Mantle"

Within the research group CLEAR we endeavor to understand large scale geological processes that operate deep inside planets. Our approach is to recreate high pressure-temperature conditions in the laboratory and examine various physical properties o…
Calorimetry Lab

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a method of thermal analysis for determining the amount of heat released or consumed by a sample at a defined temperature change. For this purpose, a container with sample material and an empty reference co…
Cryo-Microbiology Labs

The Cryo-Microbiology Labs are a lab complex focused on the biological aspects related to microbe-mineral interface reactions in cryogenic and non-cryogenic environments. The research addresses a series of culture-dependent and -independent techniqu…
Culture Lab

The Culture Lab is equipped with two low-temperature incubators (Percival LT-36VL and E-36VL) and two refrigerators to grow various types of algae under different light conditions and temperatures, including UV-A and UV-B.

Cultures can also be grow…
ElMiE-Lab - Elements and Minerals of the Earth Laboratory

The ElMiE Lab is a research-oriented facility and part of the Helmholtz center in Potsdam. The ElMiE - Lab offers the sample preparation and analyses of geological or environmental inorganic samples for element concentrations and mineralogy of inorg…
EleMap - Elemental mapping by LA-ICP-MS

The EleMap Lab is devoted to in situ analyses of minor and trace elements in minerals and other geological materials. We have a Teledyne Analyte Excite 193 nm excimer laser coupled to a Thermo Scientific iCAP RQ quadrupole ICP-MS and a Thermo Scient…
Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry Labs

The Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry Labs are an integrated laboratory suite designed for studying the formation of nature-inspired and synthetic mineral phases, and their interactions with nutrients and contaminants. This facility is th…
Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer

In our lab we use a FTIR-spectrometer Vertex 80v manufactured by Bruker. It is equipped with various light sources, beam splitters and detectors to operate from 25.000 cm⁻¹ to 80 cm⁻¹. The maximum resolution is 0.25 cm⁻¹.

An attached IR-microscope …
Gas Analysis

Gas geochemistry is an essential aspect in many areas of research, such as volcanology, environmental research and raw materials exploration.

The GFZ's Gas Geochemistry Laboratory (GGL) routinely analyzes most permanent gases. In addition to the gas…
Gas Pycnometer

The Ultrapyc gas pycnometer (Anton Paar Ultrapyc 5000 Micro) can be used to measure the density of solid and semi-solid substances to determine the purity or porosity of samples. Samples with a volume of only 0.25 cm³ (but also larger samples of 1-3…
GeoBio Characterization Tools

Several analysis tools are available for cell-based research e.g. facilities to carry out polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The qTower³ G touch qPCR machine is a 96-well format and currently uses one SYBR Green module, however, can be equipped with …
GeoBioLab Building (A71)

The Helmholtz Laboratory for Integrated Geoscience and Biological Research, GeoBioLab, is comprised of the Cryo-Microbiology Labs of section 3.5 and the Geomicrobiology Laboratories of section 3.3.
Geochemistry Laboratories

The research done in section 3.1 demands precise and accurate analyses of element concentrations and isotope ratios in a wide range of materials (minerals, rocks, fluids and gas) and on samples as tiny as 1 micron in diameter and with just picograms…
Geochemistry and Radio Isotope Laboratories

Microorganisms interact with their environment as they produce and and consume dissolved compounds that will therefore become depleted or enriched in their surrounding, mainly in the pore water. Analysis of dissolved compounds is therefore a prerequ…
Geomicrobiology in the GeoBioLab@GFZ

The geomicrobiology laboratories are part of the GeoBioLab – The Helmholtz Laboratory for Integrated Geological and Biological Research. The GeoBioLab provides a platform for interdisciplinary research across various scientific fields, including mic…
HELGES – Clean Laboratory for Cosmogenic Nuclides

Within HELGES, we have more than 100 m² of clean lab space is available for separation of meteoric and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides. We prepare wide-ranging sample substrates for meteoric cosmogenic nuclides (e.g. rocks, sediments, soils, river w…
HELGES – Clean Laboratory for Stable Metal(loid) Isotopes

Within HELGES we have a ISO 6 metal-free clean laboratory, dedicated entirely to blank-sensitive metal(loid) geochemistry. Numerous ISO 4 laminar flow hoods are available for the preparation of wide-ranging sample substrates for non-traditional stab…
HELGES – Element 2 | High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

The Thermo Scientific Element 2 is a highly sensitive, high-resolution sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Perform accurate and reliable quantitative multi-element analyses at trace level, with the highest sensitivity and with…
HELGES – Helmholtz-Laboratory for the Geochemistry of the Earth Surface

In the HELGES Laboratory, sample preparation and measurements of cosmogenic nuclides (¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al) and stable isotopes of metals and metalloids (currently Li, Mg, Si, Fe, Sr, B) in geological and environmental sample materials, such as sediments, roc…
HELGES – Iridium Strip Heater

An iridium strip heater is a specialized heating device that uses iridium, which has a high melting point, corrosion resistance, and excellent electrical conductivity. At the HELGES laboratories, the Iridium strip heater is used to produce homogeneo…
HELGES – Mineral Sorter

The mineral sorter is suitable for separating minerals from sediment in which the minerals to be separated differ in brightness and color. After previous sieving, the dry sediment is sorted into light and dark parts up to a maximum grain size of 1 m…
HELGES – Neptune | Multicollector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS)

The main application of the Neptune MC-ICP-MS mass spectrometer is the analysis of stable and radiogenic isotope ratios of elements purified from a wide range of geological materials, including rocks, soils, plants, waters, and more. We have establi…
HELGES – Sample Digestion System

Our laboratory is equipped with one of the latest sample digestion systems. The Multiwave can digest samples of all kinds - e.g. food, environmental, pharmaceutical and, of course, geological samples. The samples can be digested at up to 300°C and 2…
HELGES – Sample Preparation Laboratories

Samples of all kinds are pretreated in our sample preparation laboratories. Samples are usually first dried, sieved or separated into magnetic or non-magnetic components in a magnetic separator based on their magnetic properties. Separation based o…
HELGES – UV Femtosecond Laser Ablation

The UV fs laser ablation lab at HELGES is a state-of-the-art facility for the in situ micro-scale analysis of isotope ratios and element concentrations in a wide range of solid geological and environmental materials (such as rocks, minerals, soils, …
HELGES – Varian & Spectro | Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)

The ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer) allows simultaneous detection and quantification of most elements in solutions at concentrations ranging from a few ng/g (ppb) to hundreds of µg/g (ppm). We analyse a wide select…
HELGES – iCAP Q | Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS)

To analyse element concentrations in a wide range of materials two Q-ICP-MS (iCAP Q by Thermo) are available. Samples can be analyses as solutions (e.g. water samples or rocks after acid-dissolution). Alternatively, a femtosecond laser ablation syst…
HELGOM - Helmholtz Laboratories for the Geochemistry of Organic Materials

In the Organic-geochemical Laboratories both biotic and abiotic transformation processes of sedimentary organic matter from shallow to deep, young to old, terrestrial to marine, and from molecular to basin scales are investigated.

The Organic-geoch…
High-res MS

FT-ICR-MS is applied for the characterization of polar compounds like NSO (nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen containing organic compounds) in fossil and recent geological samples (sediments, sedimentary rocks, coals, soils, and water samples), assessment …
Hydrothermal Diamond-Anvil Cell

The hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell (HDAC) can be applied to study fluids, solids and particularly aqueous samples in situ at high pressures and temperatures. Although such cells are usually used at P-T conditions of less than 3 GPa and 850 °C, expe…
Hydrothermal Laboratory

The hydrothermal laboratory is equipped with horizontal and vertical cold-seal pressure vessels for the synthesis of crystals or glasses or to study interactions between minerals/rocks, melts, and fluids at hydrostatic conditions. The hydrothermal l…
ICP-MS Lab

The ELEMENT 2XR is a high-resolution sector field mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) with inductively coupled plasma as an ion source. It is used for the quantitative analysis of element concentrations or isotope ratios. It offers excellent results even …
ICP-OES Lab

ICP-OES is an established analytical method for the determination of elements in the concentration range from μg/l to g/l. It is suitable for analyses of large sample throughputs due to low analysis time.

The configuration of the 5110 ICP-OES with v…
IHPV - Internally Heated Pressure Vessel

In principle, an internally heated pressure vessel (IHPV) consists of a thick-walled pressure vessel sealed by closure plugs at the ends. In addition, there is a pressure inlet/outlet as well as several electrical leads into the vessel for power sup…
Ion Chromatography

Ion chromatography is used to analyze anions in aqueous solutions. This physical-chemical separation process is based on the distribution of the substance into a mobile fluid phase and a solid stationary phase. We analyze mostly chloride (Cl⁻), fluo…
Isotope Geochemistry Labs

The Isotope Geochemistry Labs are equipped with a clean room facility (including several low-blank chemistry laboratories (class 100), sample preparation and ion-exchange chromatography, a set up for isotope systems: Pb, U-Pb, Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd as well a…
Light Microscopy Tools

Optical microscopes are available in the Microscopy Lab for different techniques, such as brightfield, polarization contrast, fluorescence. The microscopes can also be equipped with the following cameras: Sony Alpha 6000 digital camera and Kern ODC-…
Micro-Raman Spectroscopy Laboratory

The Micro-Raman Spectroscopy Laboratory (Sections 3.1 and 3.2) uses a Horiba Jobin Yvon LabRAM HR Evolution Raman spectrometer equipped with a motor-driven x-y table and an Olympus optical microscope. Depending on the experiment two different laser …
Microbiology Laboratories

Our Microbiology Laboratories are used for the enrichment, isolation, and characterization of novel microorganisms, including both aerobic and anaerobic species. We conduct phylogenetic and physiological analyses to describe new strains and assess t…
Microcosm Lab

This lab is dedicated for carrying out various microbial techniques in a sterile environment. These include the isolation of fungi on agar media from soil samples, the purification of DNA from microbial cultures and soil samples, and setting up of s…
Microprobe Lab

The electron microprobe technique allows for nondestructive analyses of smallest parts of materials (in micrometer range) with high precision. Materials that can be analyzed are embedded and polished mineral grains (also gemstones), glass particles …
Microscopy

The microscopy lab comprises facilities for reflected-light microscopy for organic petrography.

Reflected light microscopy is applied in the field of organic petrography for the reconstruction of facies, determination of thermal maturity and deter…
Mineral Synthesis and Transformation Lab

This integrated laboratory suite is designed for studying the formation of nature-inspired and synthetic mineral phases, and their interactions with nutrients and contaminants. It is equipped with two anaerobic chamber workstations, small-scale chem…
Mineralogy/Biogeochemistry Tools

The Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry Labs are equipped with a very diverse suite of spectroscopic and scattering instruments to determine material chemical composition, structure, surface area and grain size of both synthetic and natural…
Molecular Microbiology Laboratories

Molecular microbial ecology is crucial for understanding the role of microorganisms in ecosystems, as it provides insights into microbial diversity, interactions, and functions at the molecular level. Our labs utilize advanced techniques for environ…
Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

Underground laboratories are set up in rock formations that are fundamentally suitable for the final disposal of radioactive waste. They are important for investigating the complex behaviour of repository systems under controlled and at the same tim…
Noble Gas Lab

The noble gases (or "rare gases") helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon are chemically inert. Due to their volatile nature they have a strong tendency to partition into gas or fluid phases and can be used as tracers for the origin and the transpor…
Omics Lab

The Omics Lab is currently equipped with all facilities to carry out DNA extractions, polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Current research includes the biodiversity and functions of cryophilic microbiomes with the focus on snow…
Organic Clean Lab

This lab will be dedicated for the contamination-free workup and analysis of ultra-trace abundances of soluble organics and samples for molecular biological studies. Currently, it is under construction.
Organic Microbial Geochemistry Lab

Processes related to the solvents extraction of snow and ice algae or particles are conducted in the Organic Microbial Geochemistry Lab. These processes are done in combination with ultrasonic bath, shaking, and solid phase extraction. Evaporation o…
PISA – FEI - Helios G4 UC - Dual Beam (SEM-FIB)

FEI Helios G4 Dual Beam Helios G4 UC is part of the fourth generation of the leading Helios Dual Beam family. It combines the innovative Elstar electron column with high-current UC+ technology for extreme high-resolution imaging and the highest mate…
PISA – FEI Quanta 3D Dual Beam (SEM & FIB)

The FEI Quanta 3D FEG is a state-of-the-art Dual Beam machine combining traditional thermal emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) with focused ion beam (FIB). This combination allows the characterization of materials in 2D and 3D (tomography),…
PISA – FEI Tecnai Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory (TEM)

The Transmission Electron Microscopy TEM laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with a FEI Tecnai G2 F20 X-Twin transmission electron microscope and a FEI FIB200TEM Focused Ion Beam device for specimen preparation. The laboratory provide…
PISA – Liquid Phase-(Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy (LP-(S)TEM)

Liquid Phase-(Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy (LP-(S)TEM) allows in situ observations of the dynamic behaviour of materials in liquids, with both high spatial resolution and temporal resolution. In LP-(S)TEM, the liquid cell is mounted at…
PISA – Optical Microscopes

Optical microscopes are available in the Microscopy Lab for different techniques, such as brightfield, polarization contrast, fluorescence. The microscopes can also be equipped with cameras.

We also have the FlowCam 5000 by Yokogawa, which is a part…
PISA – Potsdam Imaging and Spectral Analysis Facility

The PISA facility combines the state-of-the-art imaging and spectral technologies for all kinds of research applications. It consists of a range of electron microscopes with various detectors including EBSD and EDS, and optical microscopes.

High-re…
PISA – Sample Preparation Lab

Sample preparation instruments are available for all kinds of samples for scanning electron microscopes and transmission electron microscopes: Gold-Palladium Sputter Coater - Leica; Carbon Coater - Leica; Cryo Sample Preparation - Leica; Gatan Model…
PISA – Thermo Fisher Scientific Themis Z (TEM)

The new state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope from Thermo Fisher Scientific Themis Z brings a lot of new opportunities for the characterization of crystal structure, microstructures and chemical composition of materials. Simultaneous ima…
PISA – ZEISS Ultra Plus Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

The Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscope of the Zeiss Ultra Plus allows you to capture, analyze and supplement high-resolution images to get total information out of your sample. The complete detection system of the Ultra Plus combines a high…
Pyrolysis Lab

For the thermal decomposition of organic matter different pyrolysis techniques are applied. They are used in combination with different gas chromatographic methods such as gas chromatography, gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gas chromatograp…
Raman Spectroscopy Laboratory

The laboratory is equipped with two confocal high-resolution Raman spectrometer systems to study fluid and solid samples (from single point analyses and line scans to two- and three-dimensional Raman imaging) at ambient pressure and temperature and …
Rock Preparation and Mineral Separation

The section is well equipped for rock crushing, sieving and milling, preparation of thin and polished sections and grain mounts, and mineral separation by gravimetric and magnetic methods. We maintain central facilities and equipment for cleaning, c…
Solid State Analyses

For solid state analyses, a thermo combustion based CHN analysis of organic materials is applied.  

Further, a Horiba LabRAM HR Evolution Raman spectrometer with motor driven table and Olympus microscope can be used. This spectrometer is equipped wi…
Stable Isotope Lab

The Stable Isotope Lab addresses stable hydrogen isotope analysis of lipids and hydrocarbons (lean samples), stable carbon isotope analysis of lipids, hydrocarbons, gases (lean samples), stable carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis (rich samples) as …
The Potsdam Ion Microprobe (SIMS) User Facility

The GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences operates a fully equipped, large geometry SIMS instrument, which is supported by a comprehensive spectrum of peripheral instrumentation. The SIMS laboratory is an open user facility intended to support the ne…
Wet & prep Chemistry

The preparation laboratory includes facilities for the extraction of the soluble organic matter from sediments, sedimentary rocks, coals, microbial cultures and water samples using flow-blending-extraction and ultrasonic-extraction tools. Further, m…
X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)

For routine X-Ray fluorescence analysis, powdered sample material is fused to a glass disc. Therefore, the powered samples (grain sizes < 62 µm), as well as two Fluxana-samples are dried at ~100 °C, weighed, and melted on different heaters at temper…
X-Ray Powder Diffraction Analysis (XRD)

An X-Ray Diffraction analysis is a method in which a beam of X-Rays is usually directed at a fine powder of randomly oriented grains of crystalline substances. The X-Rays are scattered in directions that depend on the crystal structure of the sample…