• Mortar and Pestle
• Plastic Spoon (not shown)
• Weighing Paper
• NYLON Brush (not shown)
• Kimwipes (not shown)
• 20% Hydroxylamine Hydrochloride
• 5% HNO3
• Deionized Water (18.2 megohm) also called Milli-Q Water
• Sample
• Waste Container (not shown)
• Counting Jar
• 10 dram Polyvial

Rinse the agate mortar and pestle with warm, soapy, tap water and scrub it out with a NYLON brush.
DO NOT use a brush with a wire at the core. The wire adds metals to the mortar surface and is potentially a large source of contamination.

Rinse with tap water.

Wipe the surfaces of the mortar and pestle with a Kimwipe.

Squirt approximately .25 mL of 20% hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution into the mortar.

Using the pestle, work the 20% hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution over all of the surfaces of the bowl.

This reducing agent will dissolve manganese and iron oxides.

Pour off the hyroxylamine hydrochloride into a waste container.

Squirt approximately .25 mL of 5% nitric acid into the mortar.

Using the pestle, work the 5% nitric acid over all of the surfaces of the bowl.

Pour off the 5% nitric acid into a waste container.

Rinse at least three times with copious amounts of Milli-Q water.

Place the mortar and pestle in a filtered air laminar flow hood to dry.

Empty the contents (approx. 16g) from the specimen container into the clean and dry mortar.

If sediment has adhered to the walls of the specimen container, scrape this off using a clean plastic spoon, the pestle, or a titanium spatula.

Disaggregate the entire sample to the point that aggregates are broken but individual grains are not ground.

The disaggregated sample will be used for Gamma Analysis.