MRI: Acquisition of an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for Compound-Specific Applications in Biogeochemistry and Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz

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Stable isotope analysis is now one of the most important tools in a remarkable variety of research, with key applications spanning oceanography, biogeochemical cycle research, ecology and food webs, paleoecology, archaeology, and paleoclimatogy. Work in all these areas increasingly requires sensitive analysis of the isotope ratios of a range of elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur), in a wide variety of sample types, and the most innovative projects increasingly require new, leading-edge approaches, such as isotopic analysis of individual organic compounds (CSIA). This award to the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) involves the acquisition of an isotope-ratio-monitoring mass spectrometer (IRMS) to serve investigators and students across multiple disciplines. This acquisition will have wide broader impacts. First, the instrumentation will significantly expand UCSC's basic research infrastructure, supporting core campus priority areas for excellence in coastal sciences and environmental sustainability research. It strongly enhances UCSC's core education and teaching mission, allowing graduate and post-doc training on cutting-edge instrumentation while supporting a far greater range of projects. The instrumentation will support undergraduate research, via senior theses and direct involvement in research labs, as well as the incorporation of hands-on projects into higher level courses. The project team will also develop a new initiative for a summer outreach program, in collaboration with UCSC's division of student success.UCSC will acquire a Thermo Scientific 253+ isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS), with two front-end peripherals configured for cutting-edge CSIA capabilities, including the ability to make isotopic measurements on unknown compounds, and the addition of sulfur isotope capability. This high-sensitivity IRMS will have two main sample input peripherals: (1) a GC-Trace Ultra-GC coupled to a TSQ Duo Triple Quadrapole Mass Spectrometer, and configured with a programmable Tri-Plus RSH auto-sampler capable of automated derivatization/standard additions; and (2) an IsoLink CNOHS Elemental Analyzer (EA) with a new unified combustion/pyrolysis design that will bring needed sulfur isotope capability. Each component in this configuration was chosen to fulfill a critical need. The 10 KV 253 IRMS will provide high sensitivity, allowing a range of new, nano-scale compound-specific applications, particularly critical for individual-compound N measurements. The customized Tri-Plus RHS auto-sampler can both make and inject derivatives with automated addition of internal standards. This will provide high sample throughput. The TSQ Duo Triple Quadrapole Mass Spectrometer represents a completely novel, cutting-edge capability, allowing researchers to simultaneously identify unknown structures as they measure their C and N isotope ratios. Finally, the EA IsoLink (CNSOH) interface will bring the ability to measure S isotopes to UCSC for the first time, allowing 13C, 15N, and 34S values to be measured simultaneously on a single sample, even at extremely high C/S ratios (e.g., wood samples).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.