DEVIL: Duke Environmental Stable Isotope Laboratory

Department of Biology, French Family Science Center

DEVIL lab home

Duke University has modernized its stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry capabilities with the installation of two new Finnigan MAT Delta Plus XL continuous flow mass spectrometer systems. The Delta Plus XLs operate on the powerful ISODAT NT software. They are configured for rapid automated high precision isotope ratio analyses of DH/H₂ (mass 3/2), ¹⁶O¹⁸O/¹⁶O₂ (mass 34/32), ¹⁵N¹⁴N/¹⁴N₂ (mass 29/28), C¹⁸O/C¹⁶O (mass 30/28), ¹³C¹⁶O₂/¹²C¹⁶O₂ (mass 45/44), and ¹²C¹⁶O¹⁸O/¹²C¹⁶O₂ (mass 46/44) on hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide and dioxide generated from a wide array of biological and geological sample media. The Delta Plus XL is unique in its ability to measure deuterium/hydrogen with high precision in a helium carrier stream. Peripheral devices will enable a broad range of sample analyses:

Carlo Erba Elemental Analyzer with zero-blank autosampler: automated analyses of bulk carbon and nitrogen isotopes in organic samples and salts. Connected to a Conflo III interface.
Finnigan MAT Gas Bench with CombiPAL autosampler and equilibration modules: automated oxygen isotope analyses of water, carbon, and oxygen isotopes in carbonates and DIC; automated isotopic analyses of ambient air and purified nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide gas samples.
Finnigan MAT TC/EA (thermochemical elemental analyzer) with zero-blank autosampler: automated analyses of oxygen isotopes in mineral salts including nitrates, sulfates, and phosphates, plus oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in waters and bulk organic samples by thermal conversion in the absence of oxygen.
ThermoFinnigan Trace GC with autosampler and Finnigan MAT GC/C and GC/TC interface: automated compound-specific isotopic analyses of carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen in organic liquid or gas mixtures.
In addition, one of the Deltas is equipped with a dual inlet system for ultra-high precision analyses of purified gas samples by manual inlet or 10-port multiport inlet. The microvolume system allows analyses of very small samples.

The laboratory is funded by Duke University and a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to Dr. Robert Jackson and divides its time between service work and internal research projects.. For more information, contact the technical director, Dr. Jonathan Karr (jkarr@duke.edu, 919-660-7418).

Analysis rates | Sample preparation guidelines | Submission forms | Lab photo gallery | Jackson lab home

Last modified 12/10/2007 cwcook@duke.edu