Aerosol Chemistry and Physics contact S.Decesari
There are three aerosol chemistry and physics laboratories, including one for preparative chemistry and the others dedicated to the analytical determinations . The preparative laboratory is equipped with a hood, a rotary evaporator, an ultrasonic bath, a Milli-Q water purification system, analytical balances, stove, muffle furnace and safety cabinet for reagents. The of chemistry and physics laboratories are equipped with several analytical instruments, including two Dionex (now Thermofisher) systems for Ion Chromatography, an Agilent HPLC system with UV detector, a Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyzer and a Total Nitrogen and Total Organic Carbon (TOC / TN) analyzer, all equipped with autosamples. The infrastructure also comprises an Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of -Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS) that is used in the field during the measurement campaigns. The infrastructure includes the capabilities for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometry at 400 and 600 Hz frequency through an agreement with other Institutions.
Cold laboratory contact Alessia Nicosia
The cold laboratory is used for experiments on the physics of atmospheric ice and mainly consists of three cold rooms: the first one down to -5°C, the second one down to -25°C, and the third one down to -35°C. Their volumes are 32 m3, 32 m3, 22 m3, respectively. By using the experimental devices located inside the cold cells, several experimenst can be done. By instance the first cell can be used to handle accreted ice deposits, obtained into the vertical wind tunnel. In the second cell is located a cloud chamber (cylindrical column equipped with a droplet generator) where experiments about aerosol scavenging, during ice crystals growing or evaporating, can be carried out. In the cold cells is also possible to test instruments and components which will be used in cold environments (i.e. poles and high altitude sites). The cells could also store ice core carrots. Two open-top freezers (refrigerators) are also included in the warm laboratory. One refrigerator is equipped with instruments to measure the ice nuclei concentration at different supersaturation conditions, according to deposition and condensation heterogenous nucleation modes. The refrigerators can also be used to test deicing/anti-icing properties of coated or heated surfaces.
Clean Room
The Clean Room is used for the preparation and weighing of samples in conditions of very low content of suspended particles. The room is also equipped with three laminar flow hoods and an analytical microbalance. The hoods are used to dry, in extremely clean conditions, the sampling supports for atmospheric aerosol to minimize the levels of blanks. Before entering the room the operators must wear appropriate clothing that avoid external contamination. Connections to the N2 and He gas lines are also available.
