Acquisition of a Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for Biogeochemical Research

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus, Norman OK

Investigators

Abstract

0444610 Engel This grant supports acquisition of a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer (SIRMS) to conduct multi-element analyses of geological and biological materials at the University of Oklahoma (UO). A state-of-the-art SIRMS will replace an eighteen-year-old Finnigan Delta E that is limited to isotopic analysis of carbon and oxygen in samples prepared manually, off-line. The new instrument will include a dual inlet and continuous flow interfaces, high temperature pyrolysis system, H/D collector, and an automated sample preparation module. The new facility will allow for rapid, high volume analysis of isotopes of C, O, N, H and S in both organic and inorganic materials. The SIRMS facility will support faculty and student research on the Phanerozoic sulfur isotopic history of the oceans, studies of the migratory pattern and evolution of North American bird taxa from Pleistocene to Recent, and studies of the evolutionary dynamics of North American vegetative ecosystems. ***