Isotope laboratory

ALS specializes in isotope testing by different forms of ICP-MS, such as mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma as the ion source, conducted at our custom-built isotope laboratory in Luleå, Sweden.. With more than 30 years of experience working with ICP and an instrumental park consisting of 15 ICP-SFMS and 2 MC-ICP-MS, ALS has the experience and advanced instrumentation to deliver the right solutions and expertise for your isotope testing needs. 

In most cases, measurement uncertainty requirements determine which technique is most appropriate for a specific project. By ICP-SFMS, the precision in isotope ratio measurements is better than 0.05% relative standard deviation under optimum conditions. Higher-precision analyses using MC-ICP-MS is enabled through simultaneous measurement of the isotopes by individual detectors. With this method, Isotope ratio precision down to 0.001% (=10 ppm) relative standard deviation can be achieved.

Turnaround time for isotope analysis is typically 10–15 workdays with express options available for turnaround in as fast as as one workday upon sample arrival to the laboratory.

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Research and scientific articles

Staff at ALS conducts research within isotope testing. Explore case studies and research relating to isotope ratio testing.

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Isotope testing capabilities

ALS laboratory in Sweden offers analysis of 20+ isotopic systems by two complementary ICP-techniques.

Isotope testing capabilities

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Please contact us to request a quote or if you have any questions that we can help you with.

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Isotope testing research

Our experts conduct research related to analysis of isotope ratios, often in close cooperation with external institutions such as the Department of Applied Geology at Luleå University of Technology.

By conducting our own research, we have positioned ALS at the forefront of isotope analysis and we are committed to maintaining this position into the future. 

  • Research - Isotope testing
    Title
     Determination of plutonium concentrations and isotope ratios in environmental samples with a double-focusing sector field ICP-MS
    Multielement determination and lead isotope ratio measurement in alcoholic beverages by HR-ICP-MS
    Sources of uncertainty in isotope ratio measurements by ICP-MS
    Simplified method for the Re-Os dating of molybdenite using acid digestion and isotope dilution ICP-MS
    Separation of Fe from whole blood matrix for precise isotope ratio measurements by MC-ICP-MS: a comparison of different approaches
    Performance of high resolution MC-ICP-MC for Fe isotope ratio measurements in sedimentary geological materials
    Intercomparison of boron isotope and concentration measurements. Part II: Evaluation of results
    Separation of plutonium from soil and sediment prior to determination by ICP-MS
    The (r)evolution in isotope ratio measurements by ICP-MS
    Isotopic fractionation during diffusion of transition metal ion in solution
    Isotopic variations of Zn in biological materials
    Sources of mass bias and isotope ratio variation in multi-collector ICP-MS: optimization of instrumental parameters based on experimental observations
    Performance of diffusive gradients in thin films for measurement of the isotopic composition of soluble Zn
    Molybdenum isotope ratio measurements on geological samples by MC-ICP-MS
    Measurement of iron and zinc isotopes in human whole blood: Preliminary application to the study of HFE genotypes
    Fractionation of Fe isotopes as a result of redox processes in a basin
    Tracing Os pollution sources using isotope signatures
    Chromatographic purification for the determination of dissolved silicon isotopic compositions in natural waters by high-resolution MC-ICP-MS
    Revised exponential model for mass bias correction using an internal standard for isotope abundance ratio measurements by MC-ICP-MS
    Iron isotope fractionation in river colloidal matter
    Ion-specific isotopic fractionation of molybdenum during diffusion in aqueous solutions
    Authentication of Kalix (N.E. Sweden) vendace caviar using ICP-based analytical techniques: Evaluation of different approaches
    Evaluation of simultaneous analyte leaching/vapour phase introduction for direct osmium isotope ratio measurements in solid samples by double-focusing sector field ICP-MS
    An inter-laboratory comparison of Si isotope reference materials
    Existence of long-lived isomeric states in naturally-occurring neutron-deficient Th isotopes
    Silicon isotopic composition of boreal forest vegetation in Northern Sweden
    Temporal isotopic variations of dissolved silicon in a pristine boreal river
    Serum/plasma methylmercury determination by isotope dilution gas chromatography – inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
    Elemental and isotopic characterization of cane and beet sugars
    Isotopic analysis of the metabolically relevant transition metals Cu, Fe and Zn in human blood from vegetarians and omnivores using multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry
    Isotope abundance ratio measurements by inductively coupled plasma-sector field mass spectrometry