Research areas:
The members of TARC use a wide variety of chemical techniques to study various
problems, both practical and academic. Even though the SLOWPOKE-2 Facility
within TARC, which maintained a small, research-grade nuclear reactor for
activation analysis studies, has closed, radiochemical research using natural
isotopes continues in such areas as pollutant transport in the environment,
trace analysis of essential nutrients, and nuclear waste management. The subject
of separations interests many TARC members. Thin layer, gas, high pressure liquid,
and supercritical fluid chromatographies have been used in studies of ionic and
molecular speciation, pollutant and nutrient analyses, and bonded phases.
Electrophoretic methods and high pressure liquid chromatography are being applied
to biological separations. Atomic spectroscopy has been used for trace analysis and
metal speciation. Molecular spectroscopy has been developed for chromatographic
detection, identification, and quantification of pollutants. Several TARC members
have an interest in mass spectrometry, applying it to both small and large molecule
identification and as a separations detector. Electrochemistry has served as a trace
analytical technique and is being applied in the study of energy production and
storage devices. Chemometrics is being used to enhance and improve chemical
measurements through development of new mathematical and chemical data analysis
techniques.