Office of Research and Project Administration

Description of Facility:
The Stable Isotopes in the Environment, Analytical Laboratory (SIREAL) is a shared resource for the entire University as well as non-affiliated clients. The lab was established originally for analysis of geological materials, but has diverse capabilities that are of general interest to the University research community.

Potential Applications of Light Stable Isotopes:

Non-radioactive tracers in biomedical studies
Food web / trophic level studies
Forensic provenance of specimens
Breath analysis
Biological growth rates
Environmental change
Paleoenvironments/paleoecology
Mantle and lithospheric processes

Instrumentation:
Thermo Finnigan DeltaPlusXP Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer

Operating by Continuous Flow connected to the following peripherals:

• Thermo GasBench with Pal autosampler
  • Analysis for hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotopes of:
    
    
  Waters
  Dissolved inorganic carbon in waters
  Breath analysis
  Carbonate and apatite minerals

• Costech EA with zero blank autosampler
  • Analysis for carbon and nitrogen isotopes of:

Organic materials (solids or liquids)

• Thermo TC/EA with zero blank autosampler
  • Analysis for hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of:

Organic materials (solids or liquids)
Inorganic materials (solids)
Waters

SIREAL offers users training in the preparation of samples for analysis as well as training for the use of the instrumentation (under certain circumstances). This may be of value for projects requiring large numbers of analyses, as we offer discounted prices for University Clients as well as further discounts if our own staff need not prepare the samples. The cost for analysis is on a per-unknown sample basis (not hourly).

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