High system, basic automated

Although these modules provide a basic automated system, some serious limitations prevail. Samples must be aqueous or high boiling organic solutions, since volatile samples would be partially or wholly lost before analysis. Also, the samples must be liquids, and we know that many will be solids. Finally, the samples must be ready to run, requiring no pre-treatment of any kind, and we know that this is generally not the case. How can these limitations be overcome ... 

All commercially available SIMS systems have in common some type of computer automation, an ion source, a high-vacuum environment, and some type of mass spectrometer. While the specifics may vary from system to system, the basic requirements are the same. The hardware feature that tends to distii uish the various systems is the type of mass spectrometer used. These fall into three basic catego-... 

Owing to its low cost and wide availability, sulfuric acid is the main neutralizer for basic solutions. The most important base for neutralizing acidic wastes is calcium hydroxide (or calcium oxide), although its low solubility sometimes poses a problem. This can be circumvented by the use of sodium hydroxide (albeit at a higher cost, as discussed in the previous section). Owing to the chemical and mechanical simplicity of these neutralization operations, highly automated systems can be employed. Such pH adjustment operations are normally performed prior to other water treatment steps. 

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