Mawson Analytical Spectrometry Services

MASS operates an ISOTOPX Phoenix TIMS (installed in 2014) for radiogenic and non-traditional stable isotope ratio research. It has nine Faraday Cups, Daly and Ion Counters and has been upgraded with ATONA faraday amplifiers (in 2022). The TIMS Instrument is located in the Mawson Laboratories.

Coupled with the TIMS instrument is a clean laboratory for sample digestion and preparation prior to TIMS and ICP-MS analysis. The laboratory includes a HEPA filtered air supply and a FumeGard NU-156 Vertical Laminar Airflow Fume Hood with ULPA filter for low-blank ion exchange chromatography and is equipped with a Mettler-Toledo 7-decimal place microbalance, prepFAST Automated Chromatography System and Anton Paar Multiwave 5000 microwave digestion platform with 8NXF100 acid digestion rotor. 

Capabilities:

• ^143/144Nd measurement and high-precision Sm-Nd via isotope dilution for chronology
• Radiogenic and stable Sr-isotope analysis
• Pb isotope analysis
• Ongoing development of novel metal isotope systems including Ca, Cu, Cr and Cd

MASS operates:

• A Nu Instruments Perspective with both DI and CF-IRMS with clumped isotope capabilities
• Two Nu Instruments Horizon IRMS systems (CF-IRMS)
• Two Elementar IsoPrime IRMS systems (DI/CF and CF)

For sample introduction there are:

• An Elementar PyroCube for high-temperature reduction analyser for ²H and ¹⁸O analyses (organics and inorganics)
• A EuroVector PyrOH high-temperature reduction analyser for ²H and ¹⁸O analyses (organics and inorganics)
• A Nu Instruments NuCarb system for ¹³C and ¹⁸O (ultra-small carbonates)
• An Elementar IsoVario elemental analyser for ¹³C, ¹⁵N, and ³⁴S analyses (organics)
• Two EuroVector EA3000 elemental analysers for ¹³C, ¹⁵N, and ³⁴S analyses (organics)
• A Nu Instruments GasPrep for ¹³C and ¹⁸O (carbonates)
• A GV5 GC interface (supported by Elementar) with Agilent 6890 for CSIA

Current research focus is in palaeoclimate reconstructions, food webs, water and soil quality, and general environmental chemistry.

Analytical services for petroleum geochemistry, palaeoclimatology, soil geochemistry, mineralogy, sedimentary geochemistry, industrial and synthesis chemistry, environmental research & monitoring, chemical engineering and biofuel analysis.

From sample preparation such as rock cutting and crushing, extraction and size fractionation to elemental, organic and mineral characterisation and quantification.

A range of analytical instrumentation including multiple GCMSs, EA, SRA, XRD and fractionation centrifuges.

Commercial services available

Sample preparation

With an extensive suite of rock cutting, crushing, milling and sieving equipment we can offer a range of rock preparations to suit the majority of analytical and imaging requirements.

Automated solvent extraction

• Equipment: Thermo Dionex ASE350 with 24 cell capacity
• Analysis: Hydrocarbon extraction from solid matrices. Rapid automated extraction process provides for reliable throughput of samples prior to whole oil or fractionated organic geochemical analyses.

Gas chromatography - mass spectrometry and flame ionisation detection

• Equipment: PerkinElmer AxION iQT GC-MS-MS with Cold EI capability and two quadrupole single mass resolution GC-MS instruments (Agilent 5977B & PerkinElmer SQ8T); Quantum MSSV II injection system. GC-FID capability is also available on our Agilent 7890
• Analysis: Quantitative and qualitative analyses of whole oils and hydrocarbon fractions; oil characterisation and biomarker screening from conventionally solvent extracted samples; thermal extraction and pyrolysis extraction GC-MS allowing excellent source–oil correlation capabilities.

Source rock analyses

• Equipment: Weatherford Laboratories SRA TPH-TOC Workstation
• Analysis: Rock-eval equivalent total hydrocarbon potential (TPH) & TOC analysis. This allows analysis of the S1, S2 & S3 fractions and collection of HI, OI, PI, TMax & Rocalc data key to understanding source rock potential.

X-ray diffraction

• Equipment: Bruker D8 Advance XRD
• Analysis: Mineral phase determination of whole rock and clay separate fractions; qualitative and quantitative analyses on whole rock samples in addition to clay mineral phase distribution, allowing greater understanding for source rock and seal characterisation, especially helpful in determining the frackability of unconventional resources.

Elemental analyses

• Equipment: Perkin Elmer 2400 Series II Elemental Analyser
• Analysis: Bulk elemental concentrations from whole rock samples for C, H, N, S & O; The total carbon concentration of a sample are also utilised to calculate the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration by back-subtraction of inorganic carbon from carbonate phases.

Size distribution and fraction collection

• Equipment: CPS Disc Centrifuge & PostNova CF2000
• Analysis: Nanometer to micrometer size distribution of particulate phases and Sedimentation Field-Flow Fractionation, which separates and collects nanoparticles by size and density in the range of 50nm up to several µm.

M.A.S.S. (Mawson Analytical Spectrometry Services) 
Rm 119, Mawson Laboratories
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology
North Terrace Campus,
The University of Adelaide, AUSTRALIA 5005

Badger Laboratories, Room LG23
via Gate 12 Kintore Ave
The University of Adelaide
Adelaide SA AUSTRALIA 5000