Picarro has unveiled a carbon isotope analyzer called the G2131-i Isotopic Carbon Analyzer, which has four folds the stability and three times the accuracy of Picarro's existing isotopic CO2 devices.
The G2131-i is the new member of Picarro's portfolio of instruments used for isotope analysis in an extensive range of industrial and scientific applications. The geochemical or biochemical reaction pathways have an impact on the 13C/12C ratio in CO2. Scientists can study the microscopic mechanisms that use or produce CO2 by accurately measuring these ratios.
G2131-i Isotopic Carbon Analyzer
The G2131-i has a performance specification of 0.1 per mil accuracy for 13C/12C ratio measurements in CO2 in a five-minute measurement and £0.5 per mil drift over 24 h, making it suitable to measure CO2 dynamics in the ocean, in plant respiration and in the atmosphere.
The G2131-i's superior performance is the cause of two patent-pending innovations based on Picarro's cavity ring-down spectroscopy technology. It measures the quantity of light lost via scattering, an extremely unpredictable process. Quantifying the light scattering allows the decrease of measurement variability. The second innovation enhances the capability of the analysis cavity to hold up light, which in turn improves the measurement signal. This combination of stronger signal and less variability allows accurate measurement of the isotope ratio.
The G2131-i is the successor of Picarro's proven G2101-i Isotopic CO2 Analyzer. The Isotopic Carbon in CO2 and CH4 Analyzer, 13C +D Combustion Module-CRDS Isotope Analyzer and L2130-i Isotopic Water Analyzer are some of the other instruments of the company.
Picarro's Chief Executive Officer, Michael Woelk stated that the new instrument's high level of accuracy allows scientists to investigate the phenomena that was previously unapproachable to CRDS analyzers, including ultra-accurate water column isotope measurements for acidification tests of the ocean.