ISOTOPES...

CLASS 3B INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION WHEN   OPEN    
AVOID EXPOSURE TO THE BEAM
 BITS AND THOUGHTS about the Stable Isotope Laboratory   



 





FILTERING WATER SAMPLES FOR ISOTOPE ANALYSIS

To increase analysis accuracy, reduce memory effect and increase the machines lifetime, water samples for stable isotope analysis should be filtered. For this a single use 0.45 µm Teflon filter, reusable 30ml syringe and extra vial is needed. To work clean paper towels are recommended. To minimize the waste syringes can be washed with deionized water and 1-2 hours at 80 °C oven dried.
 
Filtering the samples:
  1. Connect the filter to the open syringe and fill it with the water sample 
  2. Insert the plunger
  3. Push steadily the plunger until the water sample is filter into the clean vial
  4. Close a.s.a.p. the cap to minimize fractionation
Traditional filtering method


 
It’s a simple inexpensive technique to filter 100 samples/ hour by inexperienced lab staff.  Main drawback is the repetitive work causing RSI in hands and arms. For more information about RSI CLICK HERE 


     From: ergomatters.co.uk



The recently developed low cost I-vilter technique prevent RSI, extends filter lifetime, decrease time so higher filter throughput and reduces costs.

Filtering the samples:
  1. Connect the filter to the open syringe and fill it with the water sample 
  2. Insert the plunger and insert in the I-vilter 
  3. Push steadily the lever until the water sample is filter into the clean vial 
  4. Close a.s.a.p. the cap to minimize fractionation
I-Vilter method


SYRINGES

http://youtu.be/4zP0SZ3wELM



ISOTOPE ANALYZER CONTROL

Full control of the LWIA with webcam and remote desktop, in the office or outdoors in the park. 

HOW 2: WASHING VIALS

Vial washer 1.0

After samples are analyzed and stored for a while, the vials can be deposed.Vials are the cheapest part of all the consumables used in the LWIA workflow. But the more you analyses the more vials you use and the bigger the waste. Off course one can discuss whether it is useful and economic or not to recycle the used vials. To minimize the waste we decided to recycle the vials. But as we are lazy and don't want to wash vial by vial manually we came up with the vial washer 1.0
 

Recipe for clean vials 1.0 


Ingredients:
  • 1000 dirty vials
  • Plastic gloves
  • Bowl with acetone
  • 2 soil sieves
  • Couple of litre demy water
  • 1 metal tray
  • 1 oven

 Step 1:  Put on the plastic gloves and place the vials in a bowl with acetone so the water prove pen will be removed
Step 2:  Wash the vials under the running tap so the acetone is removed
Step 3:  Remove the plastic caps
Step 4:  Fill a soil sieve with the used vials ( all in one direction with screw thread on top) and secure them so they are fixed
Step 5:  Put a second sieve on top
Step 6:  The shaky part can start

Shake            Shake              Shake            Shake
         Shake               Shake            Shake

Step 7:  Hold the vial washer inclined and use high pressure air to blow out the remaining water
Step 8:  Turn over the washer fill all vials with demy water
Step 9:  Turn over again and repeat step 3 to 6 another two times
Step 10: Fill the metal tray with the clean vials and put it for several hours at 105 degree Celsius in the oven so all the water-isotopes evaporate
Step 11: Cool the vials down and store them in the shelf so they are ready for reuse

vial washer 1.0 Fill a soil sieve full with vials and shake


 VIALS IV-WASH 2.0

To improve and speed up the washing process we developed the IV-washing kit. Fill up the tray with "dirty" vials To minimize the waste the vials can be washed with 3 x deionized water and 1-2 hours at 105 °C oven dried.

Recipe for clean vials 2.0


Ingredients:
  • IV-wash 
  • 1000 dirty vials
  • Plastic gloves
  • Bowl with acetone
  • Couple of litre demy water
  • 1 oven

 Step 1:  Put on the plastic gloves and place the vials in a bowl with acetone so the water prove pen will be removed
Step 2:  Wash the vials under the running tap so the acetone is removed
Step 3:  Remove the plastic caps
Step 4:  Fill the IV-wash with the used vials ( all in one direction with screw thread on top) and secure them so they are fixed
Step 5:  The shaky part can start

Shake            Shake              Shake            Shake
         Shake               Shake            Shake

Step 7:  Hold the vial washer inclined and use high pressure air to blow out the remaining water
Step 8:  Fill the vials with demy water
Step 9:  Turn over again and repeat step 7 and 8    2-3 times
Step 10:Put the IV-washer with vials upside down for 1-2 hours at 105 degree Celsius in the oven so all the water/isotopes evaporate
Step 11: Cool the vials down and store them in the shelf so they are ready for reuse



IV-washer 1.0 with vials

Rain sampler

Sketch of a low tech rain sampler for isotope analysis 

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