The growth of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) as a tool for quantitative isotope ratio analysis in the biosciences necessitates high throughput sample preparation. We have developed a method to convert CO2 obtained from carbonaceous samples to solid graphite targets. Septa-sealed vials are used, along with commercially available disposable materials, eliminating sample cross contamination, minimizing complex handling and keeping per sample costs low. Samples containing between 0.5 and 10 mg total carbon can be reduced to graphite in approximately 4 hours in routine operation. To date, over 20,000 samples have been prepared via this method for 14C-AMS quantitation. We have recently extended our capabilities to include the use of septa-sealed vials to prepare solid TiH2 targets for 3H-AMS quantitation of biochemicals. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48 and under the National Center for Research Resources Grant # RR13461.
See more of Poster Session II
See more of The 10th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (September 5-10, 2005)