National Instrument : MC-ICP-MS

The MC-ICP-MS platform in Lyon plays a major national and international role in a wide range of disciplines: geochemistry, geology, cosmochemistry, planetology, oceanography, paleontology, biology, history and archaeology. Thematic innovations are supported by a strong capacity for methodological innovation, particularly in the field of metal isotopes.

The laboratory has 3 MC-ICP-MS, 4 ICP-MS and an ICP-OES (optical detection system). The National Instrument consists of three MC-ICP-MS, including a Nu500HR from 2005, a Neptune + from 2012 and a Neoma MS/MS from 2021/2022, as well as two 193 nm lasers. It is possible to couple laser ablation to any ICP-MS for high-precision elemental and isotopic analysis with very small-scale direct sampling on solid samples.

Photo Vincent Moncorgé Ⓒ

The instruments are dedicated to the applications that are most effective on each. The Nu500HR is mainly used to measure isotopes of Cu, Zn, Ag, Pd and for Pb, Hf, Nd at levels > 20 ng/ml. The Neptune + is used to measure isotopes of Ca, S, Si, Fe, Sr, Mo and for Pb, Hf, Nd, Li at concentrations of 1 to 20 ng/ml. The Neoma is and will be used for measurements of K, Sr (laser), Pb (laser), Se (Hydrides), Cu, Zn and Fe in simplified chemistry, 40Ca, 36S and all the applications for which we still have only ideas that are open thanks to the new MS/MS modes.

Photo Vincent Moncorgé Ⓒ

NI MC-ICP-MS in Lyon offers a service for both public bodies and private companies. In practice, the IN MC-ICP-MS has sufficient machine time to accept 100% of access requests from the scientific community. The IN is managed as a National Service, i.e. it must provide a service to the community first, and then to the laboratory. In the event of a request for access to one of the park’s instruments by a person from outside the laboratory, access will take priority over reservations by members of the host laboratory. This means cancelling internal reservations to give priority to national service requests. We have sufficient machine resources to ensure that this does not really penalize the laboratory’s permanent staff. The breakdown rate (impossible to repair in less than 2 hours) and maintenance times are very low (< 5%), so NI has enough time to satisfy all internal and external requests.
Chemical separations prior to analysis on MC-ICP-MS must be carried out outside IN. ENS Lyon’s chemical separation platform works closely with NI to process samples prior to isotopic analysis.

Photo Vincent Moncorgé Ⓒ