Wits Isotope Geoscience Laboratory
The Wits Isotope Geoscience Laboratory (WIGL) is an ultra-clean, metal-free lab for the preparation of samples by isotope dilution and ion exchange chromatography prior to mass spectrometry (TIMS or ICP-MS). The lab was constructed in 2016 by Polimatrix.
The general lab air in the WIGL is filtered to Class 1000 (1000 particles (>0.5 mm) per cubic foot), with Class 10–100 air conditions in workspaces dedicated for specific isotope systems.
The WIGL is equipped with 10 workstations for column chromatography that each have Class-10 filtered air. Each of these workstations is dedicated to a single isotope system to avoid cross-contamination (Rb-Sr; Sm-Nd; Lu-Hf; Pb-Pb; Fe-Cu-Zn; Ca).
Columns are filled with resin, where elements are separated from each other based on different acid types and acid concentration.
Each column chromatographic procedure is carefully calibrated to ensure maximum separation of elements of interest, with minimal overlap of any potential isobaric interferences. All consumables and reagents used in the WIGL are carefully distilled and cleaned to ensure that only the highest purity reagents are used and any contamination is minimised.
Trace element concentration of distilled, double-distilled and triple-distilled HNO3 used in the WIGL, compared to concentrations in commercially-available Suprapur and Ultrapur.