Sending us a sample Try to avoid sample preparation methods that may contaminate your sample with regards to carbon. Don't store material under conditions that might allow fungal or bacterial growth. Keep samples frozen or dry. Plastic bags may have thin coatings of other organic materials. Whether or not one has to worry about this is under debate, but if you want to play it safe, avoid direct contact with plastic bags.
Some information is required by the laboratories before they can run a sample.
We also like to have a profile on the samples we run in order to maintain a scientific interface to our service. This information must be sent to us on a sample submission form before your sample can be sent to the labs. Below 0.5 mg accuracy and precision decrease noticeably, and there is increased chance that the sample may fail on the accelerator. Some laboratories will not accept samples below this size without special preparation. It is important that we have a good estimate on the carbon content of any sample before beginning processing.