Stable isotope analyses are widely used to trace and understand biological or industrial processes. The Isotopic & Organic Group carries out innovative developments using stable isotope ratio measurements (2H/1H, 13C/12C, 15N/14N and 18O/16O) in different research programs in partnership with industrial or academic scientists. Isotopic analyses are usually performed using Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometers (IRMS) connected to elemental analysers for bulk analyses or linked to separated methods devices such as liquid or gas chromatography. New instruments based on Isotope Ratio Infrared Spectrometry (IRIS technology) are also available in the laboratory to complete the research programs.
Investigations are been undertaken in various fields: Natural product authenticity assessment, Biobased content (determination of the biomass content), environmental or ecological research projects and involvement in health issues especially cellular biology in the field of cancer research. Isotopic determinations are mainly done on natural contents (flavours, essential oil, cosmetic ingredients…) but also regarding the becoming of labelling molecules integrated to specific fields (soil, biomass…) and the study of the consequences generated .
In complementary elemental organic analysis (%C, %H, %N, %O and %S) are also taken into account in the range from traces to high percentages in various matrices: organic, inorganic, refractory components. Research investigations have been done in several fields for the quantification of biomass, of different materials especially catalysers and refractory compounds.
Recent highlights
- Development of a new oxygen analyser for the determination of oxygen traces in fuels (2015)
- French leader committed in the European project FP7 KBBE OPEN BIO (November 2013-october 2016, 14 partners, 6 M€) dedicated to obtain procurement on Biobased products (2 deliverables supplied)
- Participation to the European normalization committee for the preparation of the new working draft : “Bio-based products- Use of stable isotope ratios of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen as tools for verification of the origin of bio-based feedstock and characteristics of production processes – overview of relevant existing applications” (2019)
- On-going development of Fluxomics analysis of biomass production elaborated by a combination of analytical tools (method presented at JFMF Clermont-Ferrand and SFIS Paris congresses 2019)
- Participation of the works published in Nature Chemistry (2020): “Simultaneous CO2 capture and metal purification from waste streams using triple-level dynamic combinatorial chemistry”
Contact: Patrick JAME , Group leader – patrick.jame[@]isa-lyon.fr