ASU Core Facilities Equipment Showcase: CEM MARS 5

The ASU Core Research Facilities house state-of-the-art equipment, including the CEM Microwave Accelerated Reaction System 5 (MARS 5), an instrument that digests, dissolves and hydrolyzes a wide range of materials using microwave energy.

Located in our METAL Core, the MARS 5 is capable of heating 8-40 samples up to 210°C, it features easy-to-assemble Teflon vessels and a robust sensor system for safety. The programmable microcomputer controls and monitors power, temperature and pressure, storing up to 100 programs.

The instrument’s microwave-assisted acid digestion efficiently turns solids into clear liquid for measurement by other techniques, such as ICP-OES and ICP-MS, for trace metal analysis applications from soils to biological tissues.