Because you're using an inert gas, such as helium or nitrogen, there is no hazardous waste. The atomic absorption spectrometer is one of the major instruments for analyzing hazardous metals in the environment. With our current instrumentation, we can detect lead in concentrations of a half part per million. With the new instrument, we'll be able to detect one part per billion. We will be able to do things like analyze the amount of lead in drinking water.
Many molecules glow, or fluoresce, when hit by ultraviolet light.
The spectrofluorometer will give us information on the structure and quantity of molecules in a sample. Students here have the opportunity to use equipment that they would never touch as undergraduates at other universities. That success has been recognized by the awarding of this grant. Arthur said the grant allows AU to take another step forward. It will affect the way we teach courses to our majors and non-science majors.