tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81731982074268337572024-03-06T05:08:23.021+00:00Stable Isotope Analysis Laboratory<p align="center">ISO-ANALYTICAL . The Quantum Phase 3 . Marshfield Bank . Crewe . Cheshire . CW2 8UY . UK<br>Tel: +44 (0)1270 509533 . Fax: +44 (0)1270 509511<br> Email: <a href="mailto:info@iso-analytical.com">info@iso-analytical.com</a> . Web: <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk">http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk</a><br>Expertise in Stable Isotope Analysis since 2000
</p><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-80382735897150684942014-09-05T14:25:00.001+00:002014-09-05T14:25:18.546+00:00New Water Standards Now AvailableSuch has been the popularity of our range of deuterium and oxygen-18 water standards, our stock of natural water standards came to an end. These have now been replaced with a new set comprising of three waters that are appropriate for use as working standards for natural abundance measurements. The details of the new standards are (values are reported as delta (permil)versus V-SMOW/SLAP):<br />
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IA-R063 (Zero water) 2H = +11.26, 18O = -0.41<br />
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IA-R064 (Medium natural water) 2H = -98.32, 18O = -12.34<br />
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IA-R065 (Low natural water) 2H = -269.07, 18O = -33.57<br />
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All standards have been calibrated using equilibration and continuous flow - isotope ratio mass spectrometry against V-SMOW2 and were scale corrected using SLAP2.<br />
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You can feel assured that you are buying a standard that is in routine use in our own laboratory fifty two weeks a year. The standards are available to purchase directly from ourselves or from Elemental Microanalysis Ltd.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/SDC10172_zpsd38658e3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/SDC10172_zpsd38658e3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-91823335680061252062012-11-30T17:05:00.001+00:002012-11-30T17:06:47.287+00:00Europa Scientific Instruments NeededWe're always looking to improve the services we provide by adding more equipment to the lab. If you have Europa Scientific/PDZ Europa/Sercon instruments that you no longer need, we would be very interested to hear from you.<br />
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In particular, we are interested in acquiring ANCA-SL and ANCA-GSL systems (including Gilson 222 autosamplers). Either with or without 20-20 mass spectrometers. We can collect equipment in the UK or in some other European Countries. Further afield we can arrange a shipping company to collect the equipment from you.<br />
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So if you have a system that is no longer being used and want to realize some income from it or simply want to free up space, please contact me via our e-mail address at the top of this blog. You will also be safe in the knowledge that we will put your equipment to very good use and it will soon be helping someone get their samples measured.<br />
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Steve Brookes<br />
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<a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/SDC10879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="384" width="512" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/SDC10879.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-27134919813415552612012-11-12T17:32:00.002+00:002012-11-12T17:34:18.502+00:00New Arrangements for Customers in Australia and New ZealandAs of November 2012 all of our customers in Australia and New Zealand, who were previously served on our behalf by Isolytix, may now contact us directly. All enquiries are welcome whether they be for analysis of new samples or questions about data for previous samples that we have measured for you.<br />
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Steve Brookes<br />
12 November 2012<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-78517582955341400032011-11-21T17:08:00.001+00:002011-11-25T10:18:06.034+00:002012 Student Awards and SIMSUG<br />
This week I'll be attending the Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometry User Group (SIMSUG) meeting at Lancaster University:<br />
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<a href="http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/news_and_events/events/?event_id=719">SIMSUG 2011, Lancaster University, 23rd and 24th November 2011</a><br />
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To coincide with the meeting we are announcing our 2012 Student Research Awards competition. Hopefully, I will get to meet some of our customers in Lancaster but you don't have to be at the meeting to enter the competition as the details are below. <br />
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The closing date for entries is 31st January 2012. Good luck to everyone that applies.<br />
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Steve Brookes<br />
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<b>2012 Student Research Awards</b><br />
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Iso-Analytical provides research awards to encourage students to include stable isotope analyses in their research projects, with emphasis on the use of stable isotopes to explain original research questions.<br />
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Iso-Analytical is offering a total prize fund of $5000 towards stable isotope analysis from our catalogue of analytical services for d2H, d13C, d15N, d18O and d34S.<br />
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<b>Gold Award : $3000 (approx. 75 sample analyses)</b><br />
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Grant of $3000 (2250€*) towards cost of stable isotope analyses available to students engaged in research at an accredited academic institute.<br />
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<b>Silver Award : $2000 (approx. 50 sample analyses)</b><br />
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Grant of US $2000 (1500€*) towards cost of stable isotope analyses available to students engaged in research at an accredited academic institute.<br />
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* Based on current exchange rates<br />
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How to Apply<br />
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The research awards are competitive and will be offered based on the evaluation of applications consisting of an abstract and 300 word summary paper. Applications should concisely describe the research project, the information likely to be gained from isotope analysis, and the availability of materials for analysis. Applications will be accepted by post, fax or Email.<br />
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The deadline for receipt of applications is January 31, 2012<br />
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Applications should be e-mailed to: <br />
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steve@iso-analytical.com with “Research Awards 2012” in the subject line<br />
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Competition Rules<br />
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(1) Applicants must be enrolled in post-graduate or post-doctoral research at an academic institute. <br />
(2) Applications must include applicants name, address, telephone number, e-mail and academic qualifications and supervisor’s name and address.<br />
(3) The prizes will consist of stable isotope analyses of d2H, d13C, d15N, d18O or d34S, or combination thereof, to the value of $3000 and $2000 for the Gold and Silver awards respectively. <br />
(4) Samples must be submitted by the competition winners to Iso-Analytical for analysis before March 31, 2013. Iso-Analytical will report results to competition winners within 3 months of receiving samples.<br />
(5) Research awards will be acknowledged in any thesis or subsequent publications, copies of which will be provided to Iso-Analytical.<br />
(6) The winners will be notified by March 31, 2012.<br />
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<br /><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-61447425375429736342011-10-03T16:18:00.001+00:002011-10-03T16:23:53.327+00:00Recent Published ArticlesWe're always pleased to see the fruits of our customers' work. Here are some references of published journal articles that we've recently received:<br />
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‘Differences in food assimilation between two coot species assessed with stable isotopes and particle size in faeces: Linking physiology and conservation.’<br />
Amat Juan A, <i>Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology</i>, Part A (2008), 217-223<br />
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‘Sulphur stable isotopes can distinguish trophic dependence on sediments and plankton in boreal lakes.’<br />
Crosietere Louis et al, <i>Freshwater Biology</i> (2009), <b>54</b>, 1006-1015<br />
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‘Unravelling complexities in benthic food webs using a dual stable isotope (hydrogen and carbon) approach.’<br />
Deines Peter et al, <i>Freshwater Biology</i> (2009), <b>54</b>, 2243-2251<br />
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‘Beef authentication and retrospective dietary variation using stable isotope ratio analysis of bovine muscle and tail hair.’<br />
Osorio, M Teresa et al, <i>J. Agric Food Chem</i> (2011), <b>59</b>, 3295-3305<br />
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‘Multielement isotope analysis of bovine muscle for determination of International Geographical Origin of Meat.’<br />
Osorio, M Teresa et al, <i>J. Agric Food Chem</i> (2011), <b>59</b>, 3285-3294<br />
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‘Greater flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus are partial capital breeders.’<br />
Rendon Miguel A et al, <i>J. Avian Biol.</i> (2011), <b>42</b>, 210-213<br />
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There is also a <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/publications.html">list of earlier published articles</a> on our website.<br />
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<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-50832786293066149102011-09-27T14:10:00.000+00:002011-09-27T14:10:12.421+00:00Student Placements During the SummerThis June we welcomed one of our customers to the lab to gain first hand experience of stable isotope analysis. Dr Irene Maier recently took up a post doctoral position in the Quaternary Geology and Climate unit of the Norwegian Geological Survey (NGU), Trondheim. Under the direction of Dr Jochen Knies, Irene is being supported by an EU Marie Curie award to work on their Changing Arctic and Sub-Arctic project.<br />
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During her visit to the laboratory Irene gained practical experience of preparing marine sediments for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. This involved; decarbonating the sediments in preparation for organic carbon isotope analysis, removal of organic nitrogen from the sediments and preparation of the different sediment fractions for analysis on the mass spectrometer systems. By doing this, Irene now has an understanding of the processes involved in stable isotope analysis which should come in useful when she receives data for future samples that we will be measuring for NGU.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/irene_sampleprep_jun11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="384" width="512" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/irene_sampleprep_jun11.jpg" /></a></div>Irene preparing samples at one of the laboratory balances (above) and learning how to operate one of the isotope ratio mass spectrometers (below)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/irene_massspec_jun11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="384" width="512" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/irene_massspec_jun11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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In July we were joined by a second student for a summer placement. This time it was Charlotte who had just completed the first year of her degree course in environmental sciences at Manchester University. Charlotte spent a couple of weeks with us gaining practical experience of common laboratory techniques which included; centrifuging, pipetting, ion-exchange chromatography and using 5 place balances to weigh and prepare samples in tin capsules ready for isotope analysis.<br />
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<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-70512150229060224372011-07-01T14:18:00.002+00:002011-07-01T14:42:07.176+00:00The Lab continues to be very busyIt was around this time last year that we started to see an increase in the demand for analysis of samples. That demand has remained in place and I can safely say that our lab has never been busier. This is good news and not so good news. Good news because it is very encouraging to see that so many of you are increasing the amount of research that you are using stable isotopes for. The not so good news is that the increased number of samples that we have been receiving has meant that the lead time for analysis has increased for most sample types.<br /><br />In order to meet the increased demand, we did two things in the first quarter of this year. First off, we re-furbished and upgraded one of the mass spectrometers that was under-utilized. This has given us extra capacity for high temperature continuous flow - IRMS and extra capacity for deuterium measurements. Secondly, we recruited another person for the technical support staff, Joanna Bruce. Joanna has already been trained up to prepare samples and is now doing so on a day to day basis alongside the rest of the team (Anne, Margaret and Sharon).<br /><br />Even with this extra capacity in place the lead times for analysis are still longer than they used to be and what we would like them to be. We apologize to you for that but would also like to thank all of our customers for your patience. All samples that arrive at our facility are logged in, in the order that they are received and join the queue behind orders that have already arrived. We think and hope that this is the fairest way for all of our customers.<br /><br /> It is good to know that people are willing to wait a bit longer because of the quality of the service that we provide.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-76375782918251692942010-05-20T13:09:00.002+00:002010-05-20T13:30:12.921+00:00Row for Heroes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/Row4heroes1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 458px; height: 276px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/Row4heroes1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />On Wednesday 12th May 2010, two Army Doctors, Nick Dennison and Hamish Reid, set out to Row around Great Britain in order to raise money for Help for Heroes and the Army Benevolent Fund. In doing so they will enter the record books by being the first pair to complete this Herculean task.<br /><br />The charity rowers wanted to monitor their energy expenditure during the challenge. So we at Iso-Analytical volunteered to help out by providing them with a doubly labelled water kit which they could use during the trip. The kit consisted of doubly labelled water drinks, collection containers for urine samples and everything needed to keep records of the sampling times:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/SDC11052.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 390px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/SDC11052.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />On their return we will measure the two sets of urine samples that they will have collected from two study periods. Measuring the differential loss of deuterium from the body (only lost as water) and oxygen-18 (lost as water and carbon dioxide) allows us to calculate their total energy expenditure over study periods as long as two weeks. We're expecting Nick and Hamish's energy expenditures to be somewhat higher than normal!<br /><br />To find out more about the challenge, track their progress and the charity they are supporting, please visit their website: <a href="http://www.rowforheroes.com/index.htm">Row for Heroes</a><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-34692906027003965842010-03-25T11:44:00.003+00:002010-03-25T12:08:18.206+00:00Iso-Analytical Student Award Provides a First for Deuterium Analysis<span style="font-weight:bold;">Unravelling complexities in benthic food webs using a dual stable isotope (hydrogen and carbon) approach.</span><br /><br />Peter Deines, Matthew J. Wooller and Jonathan Grey, <span style="font-style:italic;">Freshwater Biology</span> (2009) <span style="font-weight:bold;">54</span>, 2243-2251.<br /><br />In the journal article above the authors provide preliminary evidence to suggest that hydrogen and carbon isotope values in macroinvertebrates may be used to distinguish between methane formation pathways and help to explain inter-depth and inter-specific differences between co-existing chironomid species found in the same lake.<br /><br />Peter Deines of the Max Planck Institute for Limnology, Plon, Germany used his Iso-Analytical Student award to send samples to our laboratory for analysis. Samples of chironomid larvae collected from German lakes were measured for their deuterium abundance. As far as the authors are aware this is the first study to use deuterium as a second biochemical marker in combination with carbon-13 (measured in their own laboratory), to unravel linkages between microbial fauna in sediment and macroinvertebrate consumers.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-77684191524637655422010-03-19T16:04:00.002+00:002010-03-19T16:17:19.961+00:00SIMSUG 2010<span style="font-weight:bold;">28th to 30th April 2010, University of Exeter</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accommodation/images/holland/main.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accommodation/images/holland/main.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The annual meeting of the Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometer Users Group (SIMSUG) presents an ideal opportunity to share our experiences of analysing stable isotopes both formally and informally. Registration for the meeting and accomodation and submission of abstracts is now open. More details can be found on the SIMSUG website which can be accessed at the link below:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.northwyke.bbsrc.ac.uk/pages/SIMSUG2010.html">SIMSUG 2010</a><br /><br />Iso-Analytical are one of the sponsors of the meeting and will be in attendance throughout. I look forward to meeting new and existing customers and catching up with colleagues and friends I have met in the 30+ years I have been involved in research with stable isotopes.<br /><br />Steve Brookes<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-879213146984914442010-02-09T17:11:00.005+00:002010-02-09T17:45:25.952+00:00Inter-laboratory Testing - Honey<span style="font-weight:bold;">Food analysis using Isotopic Techniques - Proficiency Testing Scheme.</span><br /><br />Results of carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 analysis of Honey undertaken in the first round of 2008 are shown below. The Z-scores (see explanation below the charts) show that the participating laboratories were in good agreement with each other and our own Z scores are comfortably in the desired range.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/08R1Honey13CZchart.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 605px; height: 482px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/08R1Honey13CZchart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/08R1HoneyProtein13CZchart.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 605px; height: 482px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/08R1HoneyProtein13CZchart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/08R1HoneyProtein15NZchart.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 605px; height: 482px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/08R1HoneyProtein15NZchart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The evaluation of data is performed according to the ISO/IUPAC/AOAC International Harmonised Protocol for Proficiency Testing of analytical laboratories. Individual laboratories results are expressed as Z-scores:<br /><br />Z = (x-X)/s<br /> <br />Where : <br />x is the reported result from the participating laboratory.<br />X is the assigned or "true" value for the analyte being determined. In this exercise the assigned values are taken as the robust mean of all reported results.<br />s is the target value for standard deviation. In this exercise the target SD values are derived from recently reported collaborative trial results or from the robust standard deviation of all reported values.<br /><br />If X and s are good estimates of the population mean and standard deviation, and the underlying distributions are normal, Z is normally distributed with a mean of zero and unit standard deviation.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-38692253733104503212009-11-24T17:09:00.004+00:002009-11-24T18:25:58.542+00:00Almost one year onIt's hard to believe that it will soon be a year since we moved into the new laboratory here in Crewe. All of the initial teething troubles are now out of the way and I'm glad to say that we're now settled for the years to come. All areas of the new building are now a lot more organised, leaving us free to concentrate on the day to day analysis of the samples you send us.<br /><br />The building now has our name above the door:<br /><br /><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10873.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 385px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10873.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The main instrument area is fully functional:<br /><br /><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10880.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 500px; HEIGHT: 385px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10880.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So too is the sample preparation area:<br /><br /><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10877.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 385px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10877.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We have a new technician, Sharon Hinett, working on the team:<br /><br /><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10878.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 385px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10878.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And the office areas are a much better place to work in:<br /><br /><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10885.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 385px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10885.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />There is plenty of space for storage of standards, spares and our (your) sample archive: <br /><br /><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10884.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 385px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10884.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-664539225262030372009-04-20T07:49:00.002+00:002009-04-20T08:01:48.870+00:00Thank You for Your PatienceI am please to say that we are well and truly settled in our new laboratory and offices and back up to speed with all of our normal services. The move cost us at least a month of analysis time which immediately impacted on the turnaround of results. So at the current time all orders are running behind the normal schedule. We must have a lot of busy customers out there because the backlog caused by the move has been compounded by an extraordinary influx of samples this year. We're currently running the instruments 7 days to keep up with the demand and have just taken on a new technician to help with sample preparation.<br /><br />I would like to thank all of our customers for their patience at this time while we try to get to their samples, which are being analysed in the order in which they are received.<br /><br />While our website and e-mail addresses have not been affected by the move, it was necessary to get new telephone numbers. These are now:<br /><br />Tel: +44 (0)1270 509533<br />Fax: +44 (0)1270 509511<br /><br />Steve Brookes<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-28966063180436102142009-01-26T22:50:00.004+00:002009-01-26T23:31:35.096+00:00New Year, New LaboratoryAs we entered our Tenth year of providing stable isotope analysis we took a big decision to move out of our leased home in to a purpose built facility. As of today, 26th January 2009, Iso-Analytical's new home is:<br /><br />Iso-Analytical Ltd<br />Unit D, Phase 3, The Quantum<br />Marshfield Bank Business Park<br />Crewe<br />Cheshire<br />CW2 8UY<br />United Kingdom<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10363.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10363.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The planning started back in July of last year when we found a new building development close to where we were currently located. However, ready built stable isotope analysis laboratories don't really exist so we had to set about designing the layout of the building so that it would fulfill our current and future needs. This meant fitting in many visits to the new site to check progress in between analysing our customers samples. By December 2008 the building started to take shape as shown by the photos below:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10352.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10352.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10351.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10351.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Now one week into the move, everything from the old lab is in and we're ready to start re-commissioning the instruments. With five instruments to move and all the associated sample preparation equipment (not to mention the office and IT equipment) this has been a major task. However, with twice the floor area of the previous premises we should be good for the next 20 years. The photos below show just what sort of chaos is involved with moving a stable isotope laboratory!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10379.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10379.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10378.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/SDC10378.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-26118659446939283862008-12-22T22:41:00.003+00:002008-12-22T23:01:25.208+00:00Isolytix - New Agent for New Zealand and Australia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/KN2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 540px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/KN2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We are pleased to announce that Ken Neal (Isolytix Ltd, Dunedin, New Zealand) has been appointed as our agent for Australia and New Zealand. We have known and worked with Ken for many years. He has been working in the field of Analytical Chemistry for 20 years since graduating from Sunderland Polytechnic ( now university) with a BSc (hons) in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Previously he has worked in Industry, the health service, academia and private laboratory settings<br /><br />Ken has been in the field of stable isotopes for the last 10 years starting with four years at Oxford University, then to laboratory manager at Bradford University stable isotope facility before heading to New Zealand where Ken worked at the Institute of geological and Nuclear Sciences before becoming laboratory manager at Isotrace, a private light stable isotope laboratory in Dunedin.<br /><br />Ken has now started his own company, Isolytix Ltd which is based in Dunedin , New Zealand. This new venture will benefit both companies and its customers by providing a link between Iso-Analytical Ltd and those requiring stable isotope services in the Southern hemisphere. Isolytix will be able to ensure that samples reach Iso-Analytical on time with the minimum of fuss, track their progress during the analysis, report the results back to you and take care of all the associated administration and paperwork.<br /><br />Contact details for Isolytix Ltd are:<br /><br />Ken Neal<br />Director<br />Isolytix<br />Dunedin<br />New Zealand<br />www.isolytix.com<br /><br />+64 021 824388<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-42540930883064835942008-04-02T14:44:00.004+00:002008-04-02T15:09:47.731+00:002007 Inter Laboratory ComparisonsAs part of our quality system we participate in inter laboratory comparisons. One such scheme is the 'Food analysis using Isotopic Techniques - Proficiency Testing Scheme'. The first sample we analysed in 2007 was a wheat flour which required measurement of both carbon-13 and nitrogen-15. The charts below show the 'Z scores' of each laboratory. Essentially the Z score indicates how close a laboratory came to achieving the 'robust mean value' (excludes outliers) during the test. The closer your value is to zero, the closer you were to the robust mean. Laboratories with a Z score near to zero are near the middle of the chart.<br /><br />Our Z score was close to zero for both the carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 measurements. Our position in the chart is highlighted by the red block (we are identified as lab1 for this study)<br /><br /><a href="http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/?action=view¤t=FITPTS07R2flour13C.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/FITPTS07R2flour13C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/?action=view¤t=FITPTS07R2flour15N.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/FITPTS07R2flour15N.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Later in 2007 we were involved in an inter laboratory comparison for the measurement of carbon-13 in honey. The requirement here was to measure the carbon-13 signature of the honey as a whole and to measure the carbon-13 of protein that we were required to extract from it. This is exactly the same as the 'carbon-13 honey test' that we provide clients with on a regular basis.<br /><br />Again Iso-Analytical achieved close to zero Z scores which are identified by the red blocks in the charts below but this time we were allocated the code of lab2.<br /><br /><a href="http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/?action=view¤t=FITPTS07R3honey13C.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/FITPTS07R3honey13C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/?action=view¤t=FITPTS07R3honeyprotein13C.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Marketing/FITPTS07R3honeyprotein13C.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The excellent Z scores we achieved in these tests are testament to both the accuracy of our analytical methods and the laboratory standards we use during the analyses.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-4213630845598345912008-01-06T18:42:00.000+00:002008-01-06T18:53:14.188+00:00Where are we?<a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/isomap.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/General/isomap.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />When you send your samples off to us for analysis and have written our address on the parcel, have you ever wondered out of curiosity where the samples actually end up? Well, if you load up 'Google maps' and type in 'Iso-Analytical' you will be able to see where exactly our lab is based.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Happy New Year to all of our customers old and new.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-88409362520498996652007-09-12T14:57:00.000+00:002007-09-12T15:28:47.328+00:00Isotope Investigation of Retail BeefIso-Analytical has been working for a number of years in collaboration with <a href="http://www.ucd.ie/erm/Schmidt/index.htm">Dr. Olaf Schmidt</a> and colleagues from University College Dublin in isotopic investigation of beef with a view to the authentication of Irish beef. The first publication resulting from this work: Inferring the origin and dietary history of beef from C, N and S stable isotope ratio analysis. <I>Food Chemistry</I> (2005) 91:545-549 compared beef reared in the USA, Brazil, Europe and Ireland. A second publication on the seasonal variation of <sup>13</sup>C, <sup>15</sup>N and <sup>34</sup>S in organic and conventional Irish beef is currently in press. In August, Bahar <i>et al.</i> gave a poster presentation on the rate of dietary carbon and nitrogen incorporation into bovine muscle at the 58th Annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. We have made a copy of the poster available for download in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/dietary_carbon_and_nitrogen_in_bovine_muscle.pdf">here</a> (1.9 MB).<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-78809698557696319582007-09-05T14:31:00.000+00:002007-09-05T14:47:50.581+00:00Example Laboratory ReportsWe have made a selection of example laboratory reports available for download in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format from our <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.com">website</a>. Currently you will find example reports for the following services available:<br /><br /><sup>13</sup>C-<a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/13C-breath-isotope-report.pdf">Urea Breath</a> testing for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection<br><sup>13</sup>C and <sup>15</sup>N (dual isotope) analysis of <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/animal-tissue-isotope-report.pdf">Animal Tissue</a> samples for ecological profiling<br><sup>13</sup>C and <sup>15</sup>N (dual isotope) analysis of <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/collagen-isotope-report.pdf">Bone Collagen</a> samples for dietary reconstruction<br>Deuterium (<sup>2</sup>H) analysis of core waters for <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/core-water-isotope-report.pdf">Deuterium Tracing</a> of core invasion<br>Doubly Labelled Water (DLW - <sup>2</sup>H and <sup>18</sup>O) analysis for measurement of <a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/total-body-water-by-dlw-isotope-report.pdf">Total Body Water</a> composition<br><a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/fruit-sugar-isotope-report.pdf">Fruit Juice</a> carbon-13 testing for detection of undeclared addition of corn syrup<br><a href="http://www.iso-analytical.co.uk/pdf/honey-isotope-report.pdf">Honey</a> carbon-13 testing (SCIRA & ISCIRA) for detection of economic adulteration<br /><br />These example reports highlight our quality control procedures and the strong emphasis we place on the presentation of results.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-70340729527926884052007-08-23T19:05:00.000+00:002007-08-23T20:30:34.805+00:00Analytical Service vs 'In House' FacilityIt has often been mentioned to me by researchers that a project that generates somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 samples would cost about the same to send them to us for analysis, as it would to purchase their own IRMS system (about $200,000). That is true. However, it is worth thinking a little deeper before spending that hard earned research grant money on your own mass spectrometer.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Other Costs</strong></span><br /><br />A new IRMS costs money to run. First the correct environment needs to be put in place which means a good clean power supply, temperature control (usually air conditioning), plenty of space to allow all round access to the equipment and high purity helium, oxygen and probably reference gases on tap. High quality consumables (quartz glassware, various chemical packings, combustion boats/cups) have to bought from specialist suppliers and are used in the analysis of each and every sample and reference material. While some reference materials can be bought in, it is necessary to set up at some cost a wide range of reliable, traceable working laboratory standards that need to be used on a daily basis. The equipment needs to be serviced which often means taking out an annual service contract with the manufacturer. Finally and probably most importantly there is the cost of the technician to prepare the samples (including any pre-analysis work up) run and maintain the instrument and analyze the data to check that it is both good and true. Despite the best efforts of IRMS manufacturers, the instruments today are still a long way from being (and probably never will be) black box technology so the right operator is of paramount importance.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Getting the best out of the instrument</strong></span><br /><br />Mass spectrometers, especially the isotope ratio variety, break down quite a lot. While service contracts are designed to help the user, the response time for an engineer to visit may be quite slow compared to more common scientific instruments. This is quite normal for a 'specialist' instruments because there are only a few 'specialist' engineers to go round. Quite often they have to visit you direct from the factory and therefore the further your lab is away from the factory, the longer the response time will be. In order to minimize instrument down time it is best if you can diagnose and fix the common failures yourself and this also means having access to some testing equipment and a stock of some expensive spare parts. While a single instrument can be fitted with a variety of sample preparation interfaces e.g. elemental analyser, gas handling device, dual-inlet and GC combustion interface, this in itself can lead to instrument down time. Switching from one interface to another often involves some manual work, connections have to be checked for leaks and there is always a 'settling' time while you wait for the new set up to become stable. Even apparently simple procedures of changing the elemental analyser from analysing one isotope to another, can lead to one or more days of downtime and the waste of expensive consumables if there are only a few samples that require a particular isotope measured.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Using an Analytical Service instead</strong></span><br /><br />The service we provide removes all of the above worries ensuring that you get your data on time and that the grant money is spent on publishing those results rather than buying an expensive piece of equipment. The key to providing this is our ability to keep the equipment running and having the facility to run different samples for different isotopes on five dedicated IRMS systems. Not to mention that the analysis is done by highly experienced operators and support staff that know how to deal with many different types of sample and how to obtain the best results for each. With the discount we provide for academic research and the potential for sending samples in part-state of readiness (e.g. pre-capsulated), you may be suprised just how far your research grant might stretch.<br /><br />Steve Brookes<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-84886518190480166552007-08-22T15:01:00.000+00:002007-08-22T15:39:29.462+00:00Mini Fractionation of Crude Oil<a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/minifracsat25.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/minifracsat25.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/minifracaro25.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/minifracaro25.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Analysis of crude oils is often undertaken to evaluate source rocks and their depositional environments. Carbon isotope analysis of the saturate and aromatic fractions of the oil as part of the testing process, is used to identify if the oil is of terrestrial or marine origin.</div><div></div><div>The carbon isotope analysis requires less than a milligram of each fraction for analysis so in our lab we use a 'mini fractionation' procedure to prepare the two fractions. This involves using a glass pasteur pipette as column to hold a bed of activated silica gel. A few microlitres of the crude oil sample is placed on top of the bed and the saturate fraction eluted with with hexane (picture on left). Once all the saturates have been washed through, the aromatics are eluted with toluene (picture on right). Each fraction is then blown dry under nitrogen and are then analysed on one of the EA-IRMS systems.</div><div></div><div>This simple and robust procedure for obtaining carbon-13 data that can be used to identify the source of the crude oil was developed in collaboration with one of our clients, Dr Matthew Kaye of OceanGrove Geoscience Ltd.</div></div><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-77065791907751511112007-08-20T14:26:00.000+00:002007-08-20T15:19:23.817+00:00New Water Isotope Standards<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOjAXpL2yqiygivkq8Rxzo15JmTRWe8_CpmjsksWW7hNtzrAIDuKdFFrMeyA-eVsq4E559UWuZWQTL7YdLWPAV4sdXiwA-8Uh2rmessUUvkmfdPaV0PPEKDMJpUjXOZVF7Lubqwpry6k/s1600-h/h2o+stds+07+25.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100789547561193490" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOjAXpL2yqiygivkq8Rxzo15JmTRWe8_CpmjsksWW7hNtzrAIDuKdFFrMeyA-eVsq4E559UWuZWQTL7YdLWPAV4sdXiwA-8Uh2rmessUUvkmfdPaV0PPEKDMJpUjXOZVF7Lubqwpry6k/s320/h2o+stds+07+25.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKUfR05LjYhj2Pk3NRlL_7REaKCDAwZMjVFei8fRRYsXCFebre1OVJyiOz2CXN3m5BdzqPuc75Ucdm3RuC_lTYbIqJ3cGJ4sOOPh3HNb-Lq8KxUs8kCCERjnPF0xhaTiHuUgiyd8uJYk/s1600-h/bulk+h2o+stds+07.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100789332812828674" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKUfR05LjYhj2Pk3NRlL_7REaKCDAwZMjVFei8fRRYsXCFebre1OVJyiOz2CXN3m5BdzqPuc75Ucdm3RuC_lTYbIqJ3cGJ4sOOPh3HNb-Lq8KxUs8kCCERjnPF0xhaTiHuUgiyd8uJYk/s320/bulk+h2o+stds+07.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Over recent months we have prepared and calibrated a new set of working laboratory water standards and are making them available for sale to others that have a need for them. The deuterium and oxygen-18 abundances of the standards have been measured against (and are therefore traceable to) the new V-SMOW2 and SLAP2 international reference waters that are distributed by the IAEA. Each standard was subjected to our full calibration procedure which involves analysis of multiple replicates over a number of days.<br /><br />The set of 5 standards covers a broad range of water isotope abundances making them suitable as working references for both natural and tracer studies. Details of the five standards are and their delta values vs V-SMOW2/SLAP2 in permil notation are (2H value, 18O value):<br /><br /><ul><li>IA-R052 (low abundance natural water) -157.12, -19.64</li><li>IA-R053 (mid abundance natural water) -61.97, -10.18</li><li>IA-R054 (zero abundance natural water) +4.93, +0.56</li><li>IA-R055 (mid abundance enriched water) +843.43, +108.59</li><li>IA-R056 (high abundance enriched water) +1701.83, +266.83</li></ul><p>Each standard is provided in a 30 mL re-useable robust glass bottle (although we advise removing aliquots to prevent accidental contamination) and is accompanied by a 'report of analysis'. Although we have prepared large quantities of each, customers will be limited to purchasing 5 bottles of each standard. Customers that need to set up large quantities of working laboratory standards may wish to consider using our 'Standards calibration service' as an alternative.<br /></p><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-65037243192431201742007-07-09T11:17:00.000+00:002007-07-09T11:26:56.099+00:00Report on SIMSUG 2007<a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Events/simsug07_1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Events/simsug07_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Events/simsgu07_2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Events/simsgu07_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My Thoughts on Simsug 2007 by Tanith Allwood</div></div><br /><p>Newcastle University was the host for a well-attended SIMSUG meeting this year. There were a broad range of very interesting talks, with Simon Jennings (CEFAS) starting the proceedings as the Keynote speaker for the first day. Simon Jennings’ presentation on the use of Stable Isotopes in Food Web Analysis impressed many people with the sheer scale of his sample collection- he analysed several thousand samples and Iso-Analytical Ltd conducted most of the analyses. There were several presenters who had used Iso-Analytical Ltd for their analyses and it was good to be able to put faces to the names of the clients we’ve been working with and to be able to see where our work is going and what it is being used for. It was also interesting to see the advances in the methodology of IRMS, particularly the growing use of Compound Specific analysis and to see how people are using the techniques now and future applications and techniques. All in all it was a very interesting and very useful conference.</p><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-18058459768547936482007-07-09T10:47:00.001+00:002007-07-09T11:28:06.671+00:00Profile of Tanith Allwood<a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/staff/Tanith_jul07.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/staff/Tanith_jul07.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Tanith Allwood BSc (Hons) - Analyst</p><p>Tanith started working part time for Iso-Analytical in late 2003 while studying for her degree in Geography and Geology at Manchester University. After graduating with honours in 2005 she became a full time analyst with us.</p><p>In a relatively short period of time Tanith has become involved in all aspects of stable isotope analyis, from sample preparation through to operation of the mass spectrometers.</p><a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173198207426833757.post-62682921680594842002007-06-14T11:11:00.000+00:002007-06-14T11:33:44.177+00:00Fifth IRMS System Commissioned<a href="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/syse_jun07_25.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb263/isoanalytical/Lab/syse_jun07_25.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In order to keep up with the demand for analyses our IRMS system count rose to 5 last month. The new system was obtained from SerCon Limited and complements the other 4 systems.<br /><br />Back in 2000 our first instrument had to be used to analyse all of the stable isotopes in lots of different sample types. Over time we have developed the analytical facility so that instruments are dedicated to particular isotopes and types of sample. This has enabled us to cope with 15,000+ samples we receive each year so that they are turned around in good time. Our facility is now made up of:<br /><br />System 1 : Deuterium and oxygen-18 in water (equilibration) and solids (high temperature conversion)<br /><br />System 2: Carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 in solids (EA-IRMS)<br /><br />System 3: Carbon-13 in gases, carbonate isotopes and overflow for system 2<br /><br />System 4: Sulphur-34 in solids (EA-IRMS)<br /><br />System 5: Overflow for systems 2 and 4.<a href="mailto:steve@iso-analytical.com">Steve Brookes</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05032396028327456081noreply@blogger.com0