In order to request the analysis of a sample by EA, you must contact the staff responsible for the equipment.

In the case that you wish to analyse using EA, the applicant must inform about the toxicity and dangerousness of the sample and storage precautions.

Sample delivery conditions

Samples must be delivered in appropriate containers to preserve their integrity, indicating if any special storage conditions are required before analysis.

The required amount of sample is very small (1 mg may be sufficient), a very important factor when there is a small amount of material. The minimum recommended amount ranges from 5-10 milligrams and may increase if any prior treatment is required.

To guarantee the representativeness and repeatability of the results, it is important that the sample is homogeneous. If necessary, the Services have an agate mortar and ball mill to grind the samples and lyophilisation equipment in the case of wet samples. If any other preparation technique is required, you must speak to the staff responsible for the equipment.

Once the analysis results have been delivered, the surplus sample is kept at the STR facilities, stored under the agreed conditions, for a maximum period of 3 months, after which it is destroyed in an appropriate manner.

The technique is based on the instantaneous and complete oxidation (combustion) of the sample, with pure oxygen at high temperature. The different simple gases produced by combustion, CO₂, H₂O and N₂,are conducted using helium, as a carrier gas, through a reduction furnace and then separated by physical means when passing through a separation column. Finally, the gases arrive separately at a detector, which gives a signal proportional to the concentration of each component, thus obtaining a percentage result for each of the analysed elements.

The participation in this essay is a form of measuring the quality of the results through an external evaluation.

Around 35 national and international laboratories usually participate. It consists of the analysis of three types of samples: a pure organic substance and two more matrices of different general interest, giving results of the CHN content.

The Services have been participating continuously since 1997, always obtaining satisfactory results.

The types of samples can be very varied, which is why the fields of application of this technique are diverse and include both research analysis and quality control.

• Valorization of waste intended for the generation of fertilisers and composts in relation to Carbon/Nitrogen as derivatives of forestry, wood sawdust...
• Study and characterisation of organic and inorganic samples such as fossil fuels, ceramics, biological samples, cosmetics, food...
• Characterisation of organic and organometallic synthesis products, drug synthesis...

Auxiliary equipment

Sartorius Microbalance 2MP with valid ENAC certification