Stable Isotope Laboratory

Thermo Fisher 253 Plus 10 kV Isotope Ratio MS with Kiel IV device for clumped isotopes

We have recently installed the first Thermo Scientific™ 253 Plus™ coupled with a Kiel IV carbonate preparation device. This mass spectrometer includes a newly designed collector array which strongly reduced the negative backgrounds on the collectors for the minor masses 47, 48 and 49. It includes faraday cups at half mass to monitor baseline variations during measurement, and features the new 10¹³ Ohm Amplifiers for unprecedented sensitivity and high signal-to-noise resulting in ultimate precision on smallest sample sizes.

Thermo Fisher MAT 253 MS coupled a Kiel IV device

With this instrument we have developed a new methodology for clumped isotope analysis, that allows for the precise measurement of samples of. 1.5-2 mg.

ThermoFisher Delta V with GasBench II and TC/EA

Analysis of carbon and oxygen in carbonates, carbon isotopes in dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, oxygen isotopes in water, and oxygen isotopes in phosphates and sulfates.

Thermo Fisher Delta V coupled to flash EA and a custom-built GC combustion/Pyrolysis unit for CH4 and C2-C4 hydrocarbons

Analysis of C, N, and S isotopes in sediments and organic and inorganic substances, C and H isotopes in short-chain hydrocarbons.

Thermo Scientific Delta V plus mass spectrometer coupled with a GC through a combustion/pyrolysis interface

This instrument will be used for high precision carbon and hydrogen isotope measurements of individual organic compounds extracted from sediments. One of the primary targets will be the determination of carbon isotopes in in long chain alkenones, one parameter that, combined with temperature estimates, will be used to reconstruct CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere during the last 60 Million years.

Dionex/Thermo Fisher Scientific ASE 350

This instrument is used to extract solvent-soluble organic substances from sediments and soils. The principal applications will be in extracting marine sediments to obtain lipids from specific phytoplankton group, the coccolithophorids, that can be used to reconstruct paleotemperatures from marine sediments.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Flame Ionization Detector

The GC-FID (Gas-Chromatograph with a Flame ionisation detector) is used to characterize the organic extracts and, in particular, to analyze the unsaturation ratio in the long chain alkenones produced by coccolithophorids to reconstruct marine paleotemperatures.