Sample preparation

CACTI has several sample preparation equipment in Ourense for the subsequent analysis of compounds using various techniques. Among them:

• MICROWAVE-ACCELERATED ACID DIGESTION SYSTEM.

  Microwave digestion is one of the most common procedures in the preparation of samples, for example for subsequent analysis by MPAES and ICP-MS.

  The sample together with the appropriate acids is introduced into closed vessels, and microwave energy is applied to digest it. At the working temperature, the sample is totally or partially degraded. The acidic aqueous solution obtained is allowed to cool and filtered if necessary.

  The great advantages of this technique consist in the possibility of precisely controlling certain parameters such as temperature, and being able to digest the sample in very short times.

• ACCELERATED SOLVENT EXTRACTION (ASE).

  Through this system we can perform extractions of solid samples in a very short time, using volumes of solvent lower than those used in traditional extraction techniques.

  The solid sample is placed in a device that is sealed, filled with solvent and heated to a temperature higher than the boiling point of the solvent, generating a large increase in pressure in the cell. During the extraction time, part of the liquid is collected in a vial. At the end of the extraction, the extract is expelled from the cell with nitrogen and collected already filtered in a vial.

• TURBOVAP EVAPORATOR.

   It is an evaporator/concentrator, capable of eliminating different solvents using nitroxene. Allows the simultaneous concentration of 24 samples.