Laboratory

                     

                                              

 

The Johnson Laboratory consists of a shoe-free, semi-clean lab utilized for preparation of samples for trace element and isotopic analysis, a stable isotope mass spectrometry lab, an ICP-MS lab, and a sample prep/microscopy lab.

The Johnson lab is part of the newly established UC Irvine Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) Facility which houses a variety of instrumentation to prepare and analyze gases, organic matter, inorganic samples, and water for stable isotope composition. There are five IRMS at UC Irvine to measure stable isotope ratios of the light elements: Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Hydrogen.  A ThermoFinnigan Delta V Plus interfaced with a Kiel IV device for oxygen and carbon isotope measurements of carbonate samples was installed in the Johnson Laboratory October 2008.  This instrument is currently measuring carbonate standards with an external precision of 0.08‰ for d18O and 0.06‰ for d13C. 

Dr. Johnson was recently awarded an NSF-MRI grant (Award 082184) to purchase a high-resolution double-focusing magnetic sector field mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) for trace element and isotopic analyses of a wide range of sample types.  These funds were utilized to purchase a Nu Instruments AttoM HR-ICPMS, which was installed in August 2009.  This instrument is housed in a dedicated room in the UC Irvine Mass Spectrometry Facility.  The available sample introduction system includes a Cetac ASX-112FR autosampler, an Aridus II desolvating nebulizer system and a Nu Instruments DSN. 

The following equipment is also available:

  • A class-10  polypropylene NuAire Vertical Laminar Airflow Fume Hood
  • Two class-100 Airclean Systems Laminar Flow cabinet
  • Two Sartorius Analytical Balances
  • A Sartorius Ultra Micro-balance
  • A Barnstead Nanopure Analytical UV + TOC DI water system
  • An Eppendorf 5430 Centrifuge
  • A Savillex DST-1000 Sub-boiling Still
  • A NewWave Instruments Micromill
  • A Sherline micromilling system
  • An Olympus Polarizing Compound Research Microscope
  • An Olympus Stereo Microscope
  • An Olympus digital microscope camera
  • Extensive field equipment, including: vertical caving gear, lights, handheld pCO2 logger, handheld thermohygrometer,portable pH/Conductivity/Salinity meter, a Li-COR Infrared CO2/H2O Analyzer

For information on running samples on our Kiel IV/Delta V IRMS or our Nu Attom HR-ICPMS (academic and non-profit researchers only), please contact Kathleen Johnson.