of housing 18 lower electrode 14 is vertically movable between an open position shown in fig1 to a closed position in which an o ring seal 15 surrounding the outer circumferential diameter of electrode 14 sealably engages an inter cylindrical wall of fixed electrode 20 crucible 12 is held in electrical contact between the upper and lower conductive electrodes 14 and 20 a electrode 14 is coupled to a cylinder 17 for providing the desired vertical movement of the electrode from the open position shown in fig1 to a closed operating position the furnace electrodes may be of the construction disclosed in greater detail in u s pat no 4 056 677 issued nov 1 1977 and assigned to the present assignee the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in fig1 the upper electrode is a single element as opposed to a two section element as disclosed in the above identified patent analyzer 10 can be any one of a number of analyzers commercially available from the assignee of the present invention and known generally as model no tc 36 tn 15 ro 17 or ro 18 crucible 12 can generally be of the type disclosed in u s pat no 3 889 627 issued aug 12 1975 and assigned to the present assignee the sample loading mechanism as seen in fig1 includes a stationary base 30 which is secured to the upper surface of housing 18 by conventional fastening means base 30 includes a forward wall 31 sidewalls 32 and 33 and a rear wall 34 fig2 and extends rearwardly into the cabinet 11 of the analyzer base 30.