Stable Isotope Content Detection

Stable isotopes are non-radioactive forms of atoms. Although they do not emit radiation, their unique properties allow them to be used in a variety of applications, including soil and water management, environmental, and nutrient assessment research identification. Eighty of the first 82 elements of the periodic table have stable isotopes. The detection of stable isotope content is important for the study of environmental changes, plant growth, and metabolic effects.

Practical Applications of Stable Isotopes

Natural stable isotopes in water and other substances can be used to trace their origin, history, sources, deposition, and interactions in water, carbon and nitrogen cycling, etc. For example, stable isotopes of ²H and ¹⁸O, which are components of the water molecule, are the most effective tracing tools for studying the origin of water and hydrological cycle processes.

Stable isotopes can also be intentionally added as tracers to the system under study (e.g., agriculture or nutrition). ²H is an isotope of hydrogen and is mainly used in nutrition studies, while ¹⁵N is the most commonly used stable isotope in agriculture. Many other stable isotopes are increasingly being used.

Our Solution

Lifeasible can accurately measure the relative abundance of stable isotopes in a given sample, which is an integral part of isotope separation, isotope applications, and research. We offer this relatively simple but very powerful technology in a wide range of applications that also brings a deeper understanding, from aquatic ecosystems to soil science, we offer a complete platform to support you in stable isotope analysis, no matter what type of application you are focused on.

Methods	Details
Mass spectrometry	It is the most versatile and accurate method of stable isotope analysis and can be used for stable isotope analysis of almost all elements. This method allows the determination of the chemical formula of the analyzed sample (e.g., labeled compounds) based on the mass determination, and thus the analysis of the composition and structure of the substance. Moreover, we add a gas chromatography unit to the sample introduction section to form a chromatography-mass spectrometry coupler, which allows a more direct analysis of complex mixture samples.
Nuclear magnetic resonance method	It is another important method for stable isotope analysis. When the magnetic field strength is constant, the isotopes on different groups in the organism sample can be detected according to the RF electric field frequency at the resonance, and the content can be determined according to the peak height. However, due to its low measurement sensitivity, we do not recommend you to specify this method for quantitative analysis.
Spectroscopic method	The deuterium content in hydrogen compounds can be determined by using the spectral line shifts caused by the isotopic substitution in infrared vibrational spectroscopy. Atomic absorption and emission spectroscopy can be used for the analysis of isotopes such as nitrogen, and even for the determination of uranium-235 concentration with moderate precision. For isotopes with large mass numbers, the application is somewhat limited due to their small shift values.
Gas chromatography	It can be used for the isotopic analysis of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, etc. It is a simple and easy analytical method.
Density method	Generally used for isotopic analysis of deuterium in water, of which there are specific gravity bottle method, falling drop method, floating sinker method, etc. The total density variation is measured by these methods.
Neutron activation analysis	It is an effective analysis method for stable isotopes.

Our Platform

Our platform can carry out carbonate coupled isotope, carbonate carbon and oxygen isotope, total organic carbon isotope, solid sample nitrogen and organic oxygen isotope, organic compound monomer carbon, and hydrogen isotope, and liquid water hydrogen and oxygen isotope analysis. At the same time, we also carry out testing and analysis of lipid GDGTs and new environmental pollutants in environmental samples, qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic compounds, and detection of some anion concentrations in aqueous environmental samples.

Key Advantages

• Fast determination, high sensitivity, and a wide range of applications.
• Qualitative and quantitative analysis of different organic compounds (e.g., n-alkanes, fatty acids, long-chain alkenones, etc.) in environmental and geological samples.
• It can be used for stable nitrogen isotope composition analysis in solid samples such as soil and plants and organic oxygen isotope composition analysis in solid samples.
• It can be used for the extraction of organic compounds in geological samples such as sediments.

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