NATIONAL STABLE ISOTOPE FACILITY, DST- IIT VENTURE

NATIONAL STABLE ISOTOPE FACILITY, DST- IIT VENTURE

Anindya-Sarkar home page

IIT STABLE ISOTOPE LABORATORY WITH CONTINUOUS FLOW IRMS & PERIPHERALS

NATIONAL STABLE ISOTOPE

FACILITY AT IIT, KHARAGPUR

INSIDE THE DELTA PLUS XP

THE NEWLY INSTALLED GAS BENCH

THE GAS BENCH:

POWERFUL AUTOANALYSER

FOR OXYGEN/HYDROGEN ISOTOPE

IN WATER N OXYGEN/CARBON

ANALYSIS IN CARBONATES

INSIDE THE GAS BENCH: CAPILLARIES & VALCO

NEW FLASH 1112 WITH FLASH AND TC EA FURNACES

THE ELEMENTAL ANALYSER & HIGH TEMP. PYROLYSER

FOR AUTO ANALYSES OF CARBON IN

ORGANIC MATTER/GRAPHITE,

NITROGEN IN ORGANIC MATTER

N SULPHUR IN SULPHIDE/SULPHATE,

OXYGE/HYDROGEN IN SOLIDS & FLUID INCLUSIONS

& CLAYS

EXTERNAL PRECISION OF IAEA C-3 CELLULOSE STANDARD

RUN IN FLASH EA, IIT STABLE ISOTOPE LAB

(Average signal ~3-4 mv, both CO₂ & CO₂-N₂ jump calibration mode)

SL. NO.	DATE	SAMPLE TYPE	δ¹³C PDB ‰
1	12/9/2005	C-3 powder PRL	-25.04
2	"	"	-24.80
3	"	"	-24.85
4	"	"	-24.93
5	"	"	-24.77
6	"	"	-24.78
7	"	"	-24.99
8	"	"	-24.97
9	13-9-2004	"	-25.04
10	14-9-2005	"	-24.92
11	"	"	-25.18
12	"	"	-25.16
13	"	"	-25.19
14	"	"	-25.14
15	"	"	-25.08
16	"	"	-25.09
17	"	"	-25.13
18	"	"	-24.86
19	"	C-3 sheet fibre,IIT	-25.24
20	"	"	-25.23
21	"	C-3 powder PRL	-25.11
	Mean		-25.02 ± 0.15
IAEA Recommended value			-24.91

External Reproducibility in Gas Bench

CO₂Water equilibration (~33^oC) method, IIT Stable Isotope lab.

(Average signal ~3-4 mv, Helium autodilution mode)

SL. NO.	DATE	SAMPLE TYPE	δ¹⁸O SMOW ‰
1	20/9/2005	PRL standard NARM	-4.49
2	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.6
3	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.61
4	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.5
5	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.52
6	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.55
7	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.53
8	"	PRL standard NARM	-4.51
Error in individual measurement ~0.05-0.07 ‰		Mean	-4.54 ± 0.04
PRL measured value			-4.51

SL. NO.	DATE	SAMPLE TYPE	δ¹⁸O SMOW ‰
1	20/9/2005	AP-7 Arsenic rich groundwater, N-24 parganas	-4.68
2	"	"	-4.71
3	"	"	-4.63
4	"	"	-4.65
		Mean	-4.68 ± 0.03
	"	Measured in NERC Dual Inlet Stable Isotope facility, Nottingham	-4.75
5	"	FP-7 Arsenic rich groundwater, N-24 parganas	0.42
6	"	"	0.40
7	"	"	0.39
8	"	"	0.48
* Probably sample has been slightly enriched due to storage problem		Mean	*0.42 ± 0.03**
		Measured in NERC Dual Inlet Stable Isotope facility, Nottingham	0.08

* Use of stable isotopes in various branches of earth sciences has continuously increased within the country over the last decade

* While limited facilities are available in one or two leading institutes in the country, majority of these data were generated at laboratories abroad.

* Earth scientists have, therefore, realised the lack of such facilities in India which is seriously hampering quality isotope research in the country

* Existing facilities of stable isotope research are insufficient to cater varied needs (including climate change) of the large number of earth scientists in the country

* To meet these requirements on national facility basis a Gas Source Mass Spectrometer Laboratory is being set up at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur jointly by IIT and DST

* Expected to be operational within few months this will meet the longstanding requiements of university students and researchers of earth science in India

The facility hosts a state of the art Finnigan Mat Delta Plus XP continuous flow mass spectrometer with several peripheral equipments like Gas bench, Elemental analyser and TC-EA, capable of analysing varied kind of geological materials including water, carbonate,sulphide/sulphate/phosphate,organic matter, graphite, clay etc.