Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) is a specialization of mass spectrometry, in which mass spectrometric methods are used to measure the relative abundance of isotopes in a given sample.

This technique has two different applications in the earth and environmental sciences. The analysis of ‘stable isotopes’ is normally concerned with measuring isotopic variations arising from mass-dependent isotopic fractionation in natural systems. On the other hand, radiogenic isotope analysis involves measuring the abundances of decay-products of natural radioactivity, and is used in most long-lived radiometric dating methods.

A new Thermo Fisher deltaV IRMS also locates at the Soil node. It was funded through a successful application to Research Initiatives Fund (RIF) Collaborative Equipment Grant 2016.