Pier and others
There is a physical limit on how small you can go with stable isotope
analysis. There must be enough atoms of the minor isotope for the
desired precision. Furthermore, no analytical technique is 100%
efficient.
With the new 1280, we get precision of ~0.1 permil for oxygen 18/16
on common minerals from a 10 micron spot, 1 micron deep. At 5
microns, the precision is a bit worse. Our minimum spot is 250nm
dia., but oxygen will not be good at that scale. Alternatively, we
can expand the spot and depth profile at sub-micron levels.
There are some analyses for isotope ratios from spots as small as
100nm dia. by nanoSIMS, but the precision will never be good enough
to be useful for stable isotope ratios in natural samples from Earth.
There are good applications in meteoritics, and for labelled
experiments especially in biology.
Those are the two communities you might want to address.
John
>Dear all,
>
>I am wondering if there is activity on analyzing, or any other
>application of nanoparticles in the field of stable isotopes?
>Since nanotechnology is very much in the spotlights nowadays (I
>wonder if that might be one of the targets in the 7th Framework
>Programme of the EU; programme still to be decided!!!) there might
>be interest for isotopic work too.
>
>If anybody knows about such activity I very much like to learn about it.
>Thanks in advance for your reaction(s).
>
>Best wishes,
>Pier.
>****************************************************************
>Delta Isotopes Consultancy
>
>Dr. Pier A. de Groot
>Pastoor Moorkensstraat 16
>2400 Mol - Achterbos
>Belgium
>Tel. +32 (0)14 326 205
>e-mail: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
>
>Associate editor for stable isotopes of eEarth on-line magazine
><http://www.electronic-earth.net>http://www.electronic-earth.net
>
>Visit my WEB-site about my "Handbook of Stable Isotope Analytical
>Techniques", with a link to the Elsevier web site on the handbook
>(marked: 'Order Now'):
><http://users.pandora.be/handbook/index.html>http://users.pandora.be/handbook/index.html
>last update: August 15, 2005
>Volume I is now available. Volume II is expected to be available in 2007.
>
>****************************************************************
>Why we are searching for extraterrestrial intelligence
>While we lack it so much on Earth?
>
>****************************************************************
--
John W. Valley, phone: 608-263-5659
Charles R. Van Hise Professor fax: 608-262-0693
Dept. of Geology and Geophysics email: [log in to unmask]
University of Wisconsin
1215 W. Dayton St.
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Zircons Are Forever-
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http://www.geology.wisc.edu/facilities/wiscsims/wisc_sims.html