World's First Simultaneous ¹³C+D Analyzer - B2221-i

Integrated Combustion Module-CRDS for Simultaneous Bulk       ¹³C + D Isotope Analysis

• Combust one sample. Measure both ¹³C + D ratios.
• One analyzer replaces two IRMS systems.
• Comparable precision to IRMS at one-third the upfront investment.
• Much faster than IRMS -- 15 minutes for both ¹³C+D analyses.
• Easy sample prep. Runs 99 samples unattended in 24 hours.

The ¹³C + D Combustion Module-Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CM-CRDS) Isotope Analyzer is the world’s first analyzer for simultaneous bulk ¹³C + D analysis. The ¹³C + D Analyzer performs simultaneous carbon-13 and deuterium isotope analysis with high precision, unprecedented ease-of-use, unparalleled speed, and low cost-of-ownership.

Constrained by the cost and hassle of mass spectrometry, few researchers have explored isotopic analysis for bulk organic samples. Traditionally, measuring the carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios requires two separate isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) techniques (EA-IRMS for ¹³C/¹²C and TC/EA-IRMS for D/H). IRMS measurements are not made simultaneously, and thus require separate sample preparation and instrument set-up by a highly trained operator. The Picarro ¹³C + D Analyzer supplants both IRMS techniques, enabling any person of moderate technical capability to perform world-class isotope analyses. The ¹³C + D Analyzer is so simple that it can be deployed in the field.

How does it work? A liquid or solid organic sample is wrapped in tin foil and placed in the autosampler. Then the sample is combusted within the reaction column of the combustion module, converting all the carbon to CO₂ and all the hydrogen to H₂O. These combustion products flow into the state-of-the-art Picarro analyzer which measures the ¹³C/¹²C in CO₂ and the D/H ratio in H₂O, simultaneously reflecting the ratios in the original bulk organic sample. Unlike IRMS, ¹³C & D Analyzer uses N₂ as a carrier gas which is far cheaper than helium, and each sample analysis doesn’t require pulses of CO₂ and H₂ reference gases of known isotope ratio. 

The ¹³C + D Analyzer combines Picarro’s high-precision isotopic CRDS technology with combustion technology to produce an analyzer ideally suited for a plethora of ¹³C and D bulk stable isotope analysis (BSIA) applications, which expands the use of stable isotope techniques into new scientific applications and research initiatives. Read more about ¹³C + D applications in Nabil Saad's blog.

You are invited to sign up for the ¹³C+D Analyzer webinar -- "An Inside Look at the World's First 13C+D CM-CRDS Isotope Analyzer."