General information
Access mode

physical access: “hands-on” training at OGTAC CC

remote access: Analytical method improvement and standardisation by inter-laboratory comparisons (ILCs) in the CC
Infrastructure name and acronym Organic Tracers and Aerosol Constituents Calibration Center (OGTAC CC)
Photos
OGTACC
OGTACC
Location Leipzig, Germany
Website  
Legal name of organisation operating the infrastructure Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS)
Description of the infrastructure
Brief general description of the infrastructure to which access is offered

 

OGTAC CC has launched as a Calibration Centre for the analysis of organic tracers and particle-phase constituents within EUROCHAMP-2020. It will be the first worldwide and will be focused on tracers and main SOA constituents of biogenic and anthropogenic origin.

ILCs = Inter laboratory comparisons: Here, samples of a defined concentration will be provided to participants. Considered target species are compounds like pinic acid, terpenylic acid, MBTCA, pinonic acid, methyl-erythritol, methyl-threitol and nitro-catechols. The participants will determine the concentration of the target species and all data will be collected, evaluated and distributed.

Training: All users will get training at state of the art instruments, e.g. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization coupled to Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (HPLC/(-)ESI-TOFMS), Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization coupled to Ion-Mobility Mass Spectrometer with a Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-IMS-QTOFMS) and High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD). Thus the infrastructure covers the separation of the target compounds (HPLC, UPLC, HPAEC) as well as their detection (TOFMS, PAD). The application of IMS will provide information about the ion mobility of the target.

OPTAC CC is open to all users interested in the field of organic analytics in atmospheric chemistry.

 

Services currently offered by the infrastructure and its research environment

ILCs = Inter laboratory comparisons and training will be done under the frame of EUROCHAMP-2020.
Users outside of Germany have to undergo a TNA application process, as defined on the website, while German users presently pay an access fee to the Calibration Center. The OGTAC CC will be operated by a couple of scientist who are only dedicated for the above described actions and developments of new analytical methods.

Modalities of access and support offered under EUROCHAMP-2020
 
Typical duration of work

There will be 6 training workshops announced per year. The duration is one working week (Monday to Friday) for each instrument. For the ILCs, samples of a defined concentration of SOA marker compounds will be provided once a year. The data will be collected and distributed between the groups.

Community/user type served Expert and young researchers, PhD students 
Scientific and technical support offered Both, scientific and technical support is offered. 
Logistic and administrative support offered -
Person in charge of access provision at the infrastructure Prof. Dr. Hartmut Herrmann, Head Atmospheric Chemistry Department, herrmann@tropos.de