The W.M Keck Foundation Laboratory for Environmental Biogeochemisty houses new state-of-the-art analytical facilities, making ASU an exceptional setting to pursue this research. The instrument laboratory has two isotope ratio mass spectrometers (ThermoFinnigan Delta Plus & MAT253). Instrmentation accessories coupled to the IRMS include a GasBench, TC/EA, Costech ECS, TOC analyzer, and TraceGC Ultra. With this array of instrumentation we can measure C, N, S, H, and O isotopes in liquids and solids.
The laboratory also houses a quadropole ICPMS (ThermoElemental X-Series). Our X-Series ICPMS has a CCT (Collision Cell Technology) option using 7% H2 in He, which reduces polyatomic interferences and allows measurement of low concentrations of Fe, V, As and Se. We have a New Wave UP213 laser and are currently working on looking at trace element concentrations in protein gels, with plans to expand our laser usage as we validate methodology.
Much of the Anbar group research uses a high-resolution multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-MC-ICPMS) (ThermoFinnigan Neptune). Recently, we have been among the pioneers in using MC-ICPMS to precisely measure mass-dependent variations in the isotopic compositions of transition metals, particularly iron and molybdenum. Work by us and others documents that variations of 0.01 - 0.1 ‰/amu, once undetectable, are actually ubiquitous. Such measurements in natural samples provide insights into the environmental chemistry of metals and the metal-centered interactions between organisms and their surroundings.