Costech 4010 Elemental Analyzer (EA)
This instrument is used to measure organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition and content.The EA is coupled to an IRMS through an open split interface. When a sample is dropped into the EA, the EA automatically processes the sample, combusting the sample to generate product gases that are then separated using the gas chromatograph. The separated gases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen) are then pass through the open split interface to the IRMS for isotopic analysis (EA-IRMS) Samples are packed into tin capsules with a target weight of 50ug of C and 50ug of N and loaded with appropriate reference materials. In addition, all analyses include an in house reference material matched to sample material.
Available Reference Materials
| Reference Material | Material | δ13C (VPDB) | δ15N (AIR) | Carbon% | Nitrogen% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS 40 | Glutamic acid | -26.39‰ | -4.52‰ | 40.8 | 9.52 |
| USGS 41a | Glutamic acid | +36.55‰ | +47.55‰ | 40.8 | 9.52 |
|
EA Sediment (Elemental Microanalysis Certificate #295716) |
Soil | -28.85‰ | +4.32‰ | 7.45 | 0.52 |
| NIST 1547* | peach leaf | -25.7‰ | +2.19‰ | 46.7 | 2.89 |
| MB Squid* | Squid Tissue | -18.7‰ | +11.8‰ | 42.6 | 11.6 |
* Based on internal repeated measurment over several years.
