Levels of Instruction• Summer science camp -- high school juniors• Introductory Geology courses -- mostly college

freshmen and sophomores• Upper level Geochemistry courses -- college

juniors, seniors, and M.S. students• Individual research projects -- many levels

Examples of Projects/Assignments• Taste testing and comparing chemistry of bottled drinking

waters in summer science camp• Environmental Geochemistry class project studying chemistry

of local stream waters • Introductory Environmental Geology assignment on household

drinking water in Washington state• Individual student research on the effects of different land use

practices on surface and ground water chemistry

Successes• Students were curious to find out what is in the waters they drink• Students enjoyed going in the field to sample water and make field

measurements of alkalinity, pH, temperature, and conductivity• Students were excited to use modern instrumentation and obtain

original data • Students gained proficiency in using Excel to manage data and

make graphs• Framework is effective for formulating and testing hypotheses• Trace element geochemistry is distinct for different types of

drinking water• Trace elements for local streams reflect bedrock geology

Challenges• Large data spreadsheets can be overwhelming to students• For class projects, students need to get data within the first few

weeks of a 10-week term so that they have enough time to process and interpret data

• Students need a lot of guidance in generating graphs (deciding data to plot and the type of graph to make)

• There is a wide range in students’ proficiency with spreadsheet programs

• Trace element data can be difficult to interpret• It is hard to find time for instrument maintenance and trouble-

shooting

The instrument: a ThermoElemental Plasma XP ICP-MS*

Water is More than Just H2O: Using Data from an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer to Teach about Water Chemistry

Carey A. Gazis, Steve Lundblad and Wendy BohrsonDepartment of Geological Sciences, Central Washington University

IntroductionAn inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) provides a rapid means of determining concentrations of multiple trace elements in waters. We are using data acquired with an ICP-MS* to teach students about water chemistry at a variety of levels, ranging from high school students to upper level college students. At a given level, the choice of datasets and expectations for processing and rendering data are adjusted depending on the background of the students and the time allocated for the project or assignment. In addition, the extent to which students are involved in running the ICP-MS varied; upper-level students were involved in most aspects of instrument operation while introductory-level students were not involved in lab work or ICP-MS operation.

ActivitiesFor a given project or assignment, some or all of the following

activities were undertaken : • Researching chemical elements and their occurrence• Researching sources of drinking waters• Review of units of measurement• Formulation of hypotheses to be tested • Designing sampling strategy • Clean water sampling techniques• Field determinations of pH, alkalinity, conductivity,

temperature• Preparation of standards• ICP-MS analysis• Data reduction, choice of data of interest• Finding trends in data, data interpretation• Reexamination of hypotheses• Presentation of results (posters, papers, etc.)

Sampling streams in the upper Yakima River drainage basin

* The ICP-MS at Central Washington University was purchased with funds from the National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Instruction (NSF CCLI) Program (DUE-9981154) and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Sample Name Mg Al Cu As Sr Pb U pH cond. alk.

ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb   ppm ppm

north branch canal 823 47.35 1.68 0.33 26.73 1.96 0.01 7.09 4.00 22.04

Yakima river 3161 36.45 0.75 0.64 37.20 5.63 0.00 7.98 5.00 34.20

Ellensburg Tap 2709 0.25 281.80 0.69 94.55 0.02 0.08 6.98 13.00 82.40

cooke creek 5433 114.90 2.02 0.00 66.05 8.49 0.04 7.43 11.00 62.28

wipple waste 6534 249.70 4.98 0.82 98.82 11.09 0.56 7.67 14.00 69.78

cherry creek/moe 12140 217.40 3.93 1.20 136.00 6.60 0.84 7.69 22.00 146.45

cherry creek/wipple waste 7545 298.30 8.59 1.11 112.30 4.98 0.69 7.89 16.00 91.80

cascade canal/reecer 3081 163.60 2.39 0.39 39.60 5.40 0.01 7.22 6.00 34.65

cascade canal/thrall 4420 331.90 2.65 0.37 68.28 0.06 0.26 7.63 17.00 97.58

forino pond 13790 14.40 3.50 0.64 155.40 5.32 0.16 8.96 20.00 146.73

Seawater 1156000 57.48 0.55 6.10 4273.0 nd 1.42

Surface Water

Sample Name Mg Al Cu As Sr Pb U pH cond. alk. Price

ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb   ppm ppm $/L

perrier 8888 6.80 2.60 0.52 598.50 1.84 6.80 5.75 69 364.24 2.39

talking rain 12350 41.47 0.25 3.31 317.10 1.88 0.02 8.34 25 150.83 1.99

dannon 3821 0.21 0.09 1.79 81.45 3.00 0.06 7.21 9 60.11 0.90

crystal geyser 3242 6.72 0.04 8.24 348.20 2.82 11.19 6.58 19 84.36 1.09

evian 13140 4.39 0.29 0.93 492.50 nd 1.96 7.48 259 365.21 1.89

Arrowhead 14960 4.11 nd 0.06 160.70 nd 3.40 8.08 32 179.61 1.11

Ellensburg Tap 2709 0.25 281.80 0.69 94.55 0.02 0.08 6.98 13 82.4

Safeway refreshe 1954 1.83 0.34 0.00 61.73 0.00 0.01 7.28 12 44.64 0.79

Safeway Purified 9106 nd nd 0.01 nd nd nd 5.41 0 nd 0.24

Safeway Drinking 8539 0.20 nd 0.04 20.38 nd nd 6.74 5 20.15 0.25

Fred Meyer Distilled 9698 nd 0.29 nd nd nd nd 6.03 0 0.02

Dasani 4442 nd nd 0.02 nd 2.83 nd 5.27 5 nd 1.49

aquafina 81 nd 0.07 nd 1.31 2.56 nd 6.51 1 1.7 1.49

Bottled Water

A typical data set (from STEP Summer Science Institute):

* This summer science camp is part of a project funded by the NSF Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Enhancement Program (STEP, DUE 0230395)

STEP Summer Science Institute* -- In this summer science camp, groups of three high school juniors conducted week-long research projects studying the chemistry of bottled drinking water and local surface waters. Students did web research on water chemistry and sources of bottled drinking water, conducted taste tests on bottled waters, and collected surface waters. Students assisted in all aspects of sample preparation and ICP-MS analysis. The instructor assisted students in organizing and graphing data and in interpreting their results. The week culminated in a poster presentation by students.

Introduction to Environmental Geology -- In this General Education course, students studied the chemistry of drinking water from throughout Washington state. Students first researched the sources of the tap water in their homes and their parents’ homes. As a class, they chose locations around Washington state for sampling. The instructor analyzed the samples and prepared some of the data (5 elements) in a table and graphs. These results were given to the students as part of a homework assignment in which they were asked specific questions about the data.

Environmental Geochemistry -- In this upper-level course, seniors and M.S. students conducted a term-long class project on the chemistry of stream waters in the upper Yakima River drainage basin. In this project, students researched the local geology and the history of land use in the area. They then formulated questions and hypotheses that might be addressed with trace element data and designed sampling strategies. Students took the lead in every aspect of sampling, ICP-MS standardization and analysis, and data reduction. This included examining the data quality based on calibration curves, reproducibility, and quality assurance standards. They then selected data to address their questions/hypotheses and prepared tables and graphs. Finally students wrote individual reports presenting their objectives, methodology, results, interpretations, and suggestions for future work.

SOME DETAILS AND PHOTOS:

Sampling an irrigation canal

Sampling a local stream

Taste testing store-bought bottled waters

Performing an alkalinity titration

Measuring pH of river water

Preparing ICP-MS standards

Entering samples information into ICP-MS program

Acid-washing bottles and syringes

The interior of a quadropole ICP-MS