Iso FLOW
Isotope analysis of gases, liquids, and carbonate minerals
Description
iso FLOW is a fully automated, continuous flow preparation system for the isotopic analysis of samples which have been prepared into septum sealed vials. These samples can be derived from a diverse range of application areas such as geoscience, climate change, food adulteration, hydrology, and clinical studies, thereby ensuring that the iso FLOW is one of the most flexible sample preparation systems for isotope ratio mass spectrometry.
The iso FLOW system has unique analytical advantages for the isotopic analysis of liquid and carbonate samples compared to other commonly used techniques. For example, the equilibration technique is advantageous for the analysis of δ2H and δ18O water isotopes compared to direct injection into an elemental analyzer because there are no deleterious effects of dissolved or particulate organic compounds in the water. This is ideal for the analysis of samples such as fruit juices, wines, urine and river or estuarine waters which have substantial organic contents and so filtering or distillation of samples prior to analysis is not required.
The analysis of pure carbonate materials can be analyzed using dual inlet technology, but this is not ideal for impure carbonate samples such as apatite carbonates due to the presence of hydroxyapatite which can cause an interference after acid digestion. In this case, the iso FLOW is uniquely capable of analyzing these samples thanks to the UltiTrap GC separation column which purifies the sample prior to isotopic analysis.
The high-precision analysis of a diverse range of sample matrices by the iso FLOW headspace analyzer means that it is the ideal system for any IRMS laboratory.
Highlights of the iso FLOW
Flexible analysis
UltiTrap dynamic GC separation device gives increased analytical capabilities without need for cryogenics
Exceptional sample throughput
with capacity for up to 180 carbonate or liquid samples or 220 gas samples in a single acquisition.
Highest precision analysis
Experience the highest precision isotope analysis of liquid and carbonate samples
Software control of all parameters
Control of all flow rates and valves from lyticOS® Software Suite reduces instrument contact time and consumption of resources
Features
Flexible GC separation
At the heart of iso FLOW is our proprietary GC separation device, UltiTrap, which leverages our Advanced Purge and Trap (APT) technology employed in our EA-IRMS systems. UltiTrap can be used in different ways for different purposes. In isothermal mode, it can operate at temperatures up to 200 °C for fast analysis of simple samples. In dynamic mode, it can operate at sub-ambient temperatures using thermoelectric cooling and rapid, dynamic heating for the improved focusing and separation of sample gases, delivering better limits of quantification for small samples.
Complete automation of every parameter
iso FLOW has complete control of every analytical parameter directly in lyticOS® Software Suite giving an unparalleled amount of automation capability to operators. By utilizing digital mass flow controllers, precise and stable control of gas flows is possible while also allowing gas flows to be varied by the method. This enables greater flexibility to utilize different methods within a single analytical sequence as well as ensuring that gas supplies are preserved by deploying sleep and wake up modes.
The highest sample throughput
The iso FLOW system offers the highest sample throughput on the market with capacity for up to 180 heated samples and 220 non-heated samples to be analyzed in a single sequence. For the greatest analytical flexibility, the temperature of the heated sample tray is controlled directly from lyticOS® Software Suite up to a maximum temperature of 90 °C ± 0.1 °C. Combined with automated sample preparation, rapid aliquoting of sample gas from the sample vial and lyticOS® data processing tools, your samples can be analyzed and processed with speed and ease.
Unique needle design
The amount of sample preparation required prior to analysis is very low when using the iso FLOW headspace analyzer. This is because the instrument can prepare the samples with automated routines using the iso FLOW’s unique multi-core needle design. The instrument uses a single needle to flush sample vials, deliver reagents to the sample vial and finally extract the prepared sample and deliver it to the IRMS for isotopic analysis. The use of a single needle makes instrument set-up easier, reduces maintenance and makes the instrument more flexible for a range of different analyses.
