This award provides funds for the acquisition of a gas chromatograph and combustion line to be interfaced with a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. The new instrumental system will enable the determination of nitrogen and carbon isotopic compositions of the individual molecular components of mixtures of complex organic compounds. Such analytical capabilities offers enhanced interpretation of the source and history of organic material preserved in the natural fossil record and will be used in geological, biological, and anthropological research.
