Isotopes & radiological parameters

Analysis of isotopes, isotope ratios, & radiological parameters

Measurements of isotope ratios, the concentration of specific isotopes, and general radiological parameters serve several purposes in environmental projects.

Examples include the use of isotope ratios to identify contamination sources, the concentration of naturally occurring harmful compounds, like Radon in groundwater, and identification of the increased level of radioactive metals in connection with industrial activity such as mining and nuclear power plants.

scientists

Portfolio & methods

ALS has become the leading laboratory group globally for isotope and radiological services for the environmental industry.

Our laboratories follow standard methods where available, but we also utilize many in-house developed methods in our analytical portfolio to obtain the best results possible.

Instrumentation used for testing include:

  • Gamma Spectroscopy
  • Liquid Scintillation
  • Gas Flow Proportional Counting
  • Alpha Scintillation Methods
  • ICP-SFMS
  • MC-ICP-SFMS
fish testing


Analyses provided by ALS include:

Chemical Symbol  Name  Isotopes 
Pb  Lead  204, 206, 207, 208 
Pb  Lead  210 
U  Uranium  234, 235, 236, 238 
Pu  Plutonium  239, 240 
Pu  Plutonium  241 
Sr  Strontium  86, 87 
Sr  Strontium  89, 90 
B  Boron  10, 11 
Nd  Neodymium  146, 148 
Os  Osmium  187, 188, 189, 190, 192 
Re  Rhenium  185, 187 
Si  Silicon  28, 29 (30) 
Mg  Magnesium  24, 25, 26 
Fe  Iron  54, 56, 57 
Fe  Iron  55 
Ni  Nickel  60, 62 
Ni  Nickel  63 
Zn  Zink  64, 66, 68 
Cu  Copper  63, 65 
Mo  Molybdenum  92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 
Cd  Cadmium  110, 112, 113, 114 
Hg  Mercury  199, 200, 201, 202 
Tl  Thallium  203, 205 
Ra  Radium  226, 228 
Th  Thorium  230, 232 
Li  Lithium  6, 7 
Ag  Silver  107, 109 
C  Carbon  14 
I  Iodine  129 
Tc  Technetium  99 
Alpha Isotopics including Am, Np, Pu, Po, Th, U, Cm
Gross alpha-beta



Frequently asked questions

  • What is included in the price of analysis?

    All prices are for single sample analyses. Discounts can be offered for batches and continuous projects. Please request a quote.

    • Sample preparation (acid digestion or alkaline fusion).
    • Matrix separation/analyte pre-concentration (if needed).
    • ICP-SFMS screening of purified fraction to assess separation efficiency and analyte concentration.
    • Two consecutive measurements against bracketing isotope standards with matched analyte concentration.
    • Correction for spectral interferences and mass bias.
    • Duplicate (entire procedure) for every 10 samples.
  • What is the major advantage of ALS compared to university labs?
    • TAT: standard delivery time is shorter.
    • Thanks to access to different MS techniques, and highly efficient introduction systems, we can offer analyses in difficult matrixes and at low analyte concentrations.
  • Is it possible to supply samples as ‘ready-to-run’ solutions?
    • Yes, to lower the price of analysis, some customers prefer to perform sample preparation and analyte pre-concentration themselves. Given that information on acid matrix and analyte concentration is supplied with purified sample solutions, substantial (up to 50%) discounts can be made available.
    • However, for such projects, there is a risk of non-quantitative analyte recovery during purification stages, which may result in an artificial isotope shift that is impossible to compensate for at the measurement stage.
  • Is it cheaper to order several isotope ratios from the same material?
    • Yes, as the same sample preparation (and in some cases even the same matrix separation) can be used for several isotope systems (e.g. Sr+Nd, Sr+Pb, B+Pb), ordering 2-3 isotope ratios from the same sample will be cheaper than 2-3 isotope ratios from 2-3 separate samples.
  • What is LOD (LOQ, LOR) for different isotope analyses?
    • As analyte isotopes can be separated from substantial sample amounts (hundreds of mls for liquids or tens g for solids), minimum amount of analyte is a better measure of method performance at low concentrations. There are also significant differences in minimum amount needed for ICP-SFMS and MC-ICP-MS.
  • Do we offer geological age determination (dating)?
    • Usually no, as we do not employ experienced mineralogists. In some cases, we can offer simplified ‘whole-rock’ dating. Alternatively, customers may supply samples in the form of mineral separates and order both radiogenic isotope ratios and concentrations of parent/daughter isotopes used for age calculations. Up to 5-7 mineral separates from single whole rock samples may be needed for reliable dating.
  • Do we offer isotope ratio measurements for C, N, O?
    • Isotopes of these elements are difficult to measure with atmospheric pressure ICP-MS and thus not analyzed in-house. Through our extensive ALS network, such isotopes may be offered by other laboratories. Please contact us for more information.
  • What about elements that are not mentioned on this website (e.g. Cl, S, Ca, etc.)?
    • In principle, we can offer isotope ratio measurements for such elements. However, unless it is a clean synthetic solution, separation of analyte from sample matrix will be necessary prior to the instrumental stage. Therefore, the price for such analysis will be considerable as we will need to develop (or adopt) and test the separation method.