New Methods for Fully Automated Isotope Ratio Determination from Hydrogen at the Natural Abundance Level

Abstract

A variety of methods for measurement of ²H/¹H from H₂ are evaluated for their ability to be fully automated and for applicability to automated isotopic analysis of water and organic compounds. Equilibration of water with H₂ gas with the aid of a platinum catalyst has been commercialized into a fully automated sample preparation device. A second and newer technique, involving injecting water, methane, or other volatile organic compounds onto hot chromium in a reactor attached to the dual inlet system of a gas isotope ratio mass spectrometer, can be integrated with a conventional GC-autosampler to allow automated analysis of a variety of substrates. Both techniques result in precisions around 1‰ (δ notation) on the VSMOW scale, and are fast and accurate, and with appropriate mass spectrometers require only negligible scaling for the SLAP/VSMOW difference. Several experimental methods which show considerable promise employ “isotope ratio monitoring” (irm) inlet systems, in which a carrier gas is used for transport of H₂ to the mass spectrometer. Any such method has to address the problem of He ions corrupting the measurement of the H₂ ions. One such approach uses a heated palladium membrane for selective introduction of H₂ into the mass spectrometer, and a second involves modifications to the ion optics to control the stray helium ions. Both approaches have significant limitations that must be overcome before irm techniques can be used in routine applications, in particular for measuring hydrogen isotopes from GC effluents (irm-GCMS).     

Microcombustion of ng Amounts of Carbon in Non-Volatile Materials for isotope Ratio Evaluation

Abstract A novel microcombustion technique for carbon isotopic analysis of nanogram amounts of carbon in non-volatile materials based on isotope ratio monitoring (irm) mass spectrometry is described. Liquid or solid samples placed in a quartz sleeve are combusted at 1000°C in a continuous stream of helium and oxygen. CO(2) removed from the carrier gas stream by cryogenic trapping is transferred onto a GC column. Following GC separation, the CO(2) is transferred via an open split to the ion source of a gas isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Reproducibility for samples >25 nmol carbon is <1‰. Problems associated with blanks from various sources and with reproducible deposition of small sample amounts led to variable accuracy, which was dependent on the compound class being analysed. Minimum sample size was in the range from 5 to 10 nmol carbon. Measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of groundwater from Germany yielded consistent values of δ(13)C = -28.8‰.     

Microcombustion of ng Amounts of Carbon in Non-Volatile Materials for isotope Ratio Evaluation

Abstract

A novel microcombustion technique for carbon isotopic analysis of nanogram amounts of carbon in non-volatile materials based on isotope ratio monitoring (irm) mass spectrometry is described. Liquid or solid samples placed in a quartz sleeve are combusted at 1000°C in a continuous stream of helium and oxygen. CO₂ removed from the carrier gas stream by cryogenic trapping is transferred onto a GC column. Following GC separation, the CO₂ is transferred via an open split to the ion source of a gas isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Reproducibility for samples >25 nmol carbon is <1‰. Problems associated with blanks from various sources and with reproducible deposition of small sample amounts led to variable accuracy, which was dependent on the compound class being analysed. Minimum sample size was in the range from 5 to 10 nmol carbon. Measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of groundwater from Germany yielded consistent values of δ¹³C = -28.8‰.     

A robust and fast method of sampling and analysis of delta13C of dissolved inorganic carbon in ground waters

The stable carbon isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (delta13C(DIC)) is traditionally determined using either direct precipitation or gas evolution methods in conjunction with offline gas preparation and measurement in a dual-inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometer. A gas evolution method based on continuous-flow technology is described here, which is easy to use and robust. Water samples (100-1500 microl depending on the carbonate alkalinity) are injected into He-filled autosampler vials in the field and analysed on an automated continuous-flow gas preparation system interfaced to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Sample analysis time including online preparation is 10 min and overall precision is 0.1 per thousand. This method is thus fast and can easily be automated for handling large sample batches.     

Isotope ratio monitoring gas chromatography/Mass spectrometry of D/H by high temperature conversion isotope ratio mass spectrometry

Of all the elements, hydrogen has the largest naturally occurring variations in the ratio of its stable isotopes (D/H). It is for this reason that there has been a strong desire to add hydrogen to the list of elements amenable to isotope ratio monitoring gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (irm-GC/MS). In irm-GC/MS the sample is entrained in helium as the carrier gas, which is also ionized and separated in the isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). Because of the low abundance of deuterium in nature, precise and accurate on-line monitoring of D/H ratios with an IRMS requires that low energy helium ions be kept out of the m/z 3 collector, which requires the use of an energy filter. A clean mass 3 (HD(+.)) signal which is independent of a large helium load in the electron impact ion source is essential in order to reach the sensitivity required for D/H analysis of capillary GC peaks. A new IRMS system, the DELTA(plus)XL(trade mark), has been designed for high precision, high accuracy measurements of transient signals of hydrogen gas. It incorporates a retardation lens integrated into the m/z 3 Faraday cup collector. Following GC separation, the hydrogen bound in organic compounds must be quantitatively converted into H(2) gas prior to analysis in the IRMS. Quantitative conversion is achieved by high temperature conversion (TC) at temperatures >1400 degrees C. Measurements of D/H ratios of individual organic compounds in complicated natural mixtures can now be made to a precision of 2 per thousand (delta notation) or, better, with typical sample amounts of approximately 200 ng per compound. Initial applications have focused on compounds of interest to petroleum research (biomarkers and natural gas components), food and flavor control (vanillin and ethanol), and metabolic studies (fatty acids and steroids). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A robust and fast method of sampling and analysis of δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon in ground waters

The stable carbon isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C_DIC) is traditionally determined using either direct precipitation or gas evolution methods in conjunction with offline gas preparation and measurement in a dual-inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometer. A gas evolution method based on continuous-flow technology is described here, which is easy to use and robust. Water samples (100–1500 μl depending on the carbonate alkalinity) are injected into He-filled autosampler vials in the field and analysed on an automated continuous-flow gas preparation system interfaced to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Sample analysis time including online preparation is 10 min and overall precision is 0.1 ‰. This method is thus fast and can easily be automated for handling large sample batches.     

First real-time measurement of the evolving 2H/1H ratio during water evaporation from plant leaves

We have studied the temporal behaviour of the deuterium isotope ratio of water vapour emerging from a freshly cut plant leaf placed in a dry nitrogen atmosphere. The leaf material was placed directly inside the sample gas cell of the stable isotope ratio infrared spectrometer. At the reduced pressure ( approximately 40 mbar) inside the cell, the appearance of water evaporating from the leaf is easily probed by the spectrometer, as well as the evolving isotope ratios, with a precision of about 1 per thousand. The demonstration experiment we describe measures the 2H/1H isotope ratio only, but the experiment can be easily extended to include the 18O/16O and 17O/16O isotope ratios. Plant leaf water isotope ratios provide important information towards quantification of the different components in the ecosystem water and carbon dioxide exchange.     

飞行时间质谱仪中激光解离的Ni^＋与醇类化合物分子束流气 …

将分子束流,激光解离和飞行时间质谱结合起来,在一个石英反应室内,让激光解离的Ｎｉ＾２＋与连续喷入的醇分子不流发生反应,产物经飞行时间质谱仪检测,研究了Ｎｉ＾＋一Ｃ２～Ｃ６等五种醇分子的气相反应。用如下的插入机理解释反应：（１）选择性的插入醇分子共价键;（２）β－Ｈ迁移至Ｎｉ＾＋;（３）失去一中性分子形成产物离子。     

First real-time measurement of the evolving 2H/1H ratio during water evaporation from plant leaves

We have studied the temporal behaviour of the deuterium isotope ratio of water vapour emerging from a freshly cut plant leaf placed in a dry nitrogen atmosphere. The leaf material was placed directly inside the sample gas cell of the stable isotope ratio infrared spectrometer. At the reduced pressure (～40 mbar) inside the cell, the appearance of water evaporating from the leaf is easily probed by the spectrometer, as well as the evolving isotope ratios, with a precision of about 1 ‰. The demonstration experiment we describe measures the ²H/¹H isotope ratio only, but the experiment can be easily extended to include the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹⁷O/¹⁶O isotope ratios. Plant leaf water isotope ratios provide important information towards quantification of the different components in the ecosystem water and carbon dioxide exchange.     

Mass Spectrometric Sampling of Combustion Plasmas

An arrangement is described whereby atmospheric pressure flame plasmas are sampled into a quadrupole mass spectrometer for analysis and identification of each ion present. The principal difficulty encountered is that of obtaining a fully representative sample of gas without chemical reactions altering the composition. These problems are discussed in detail and it is concluded that only fast reactions, with relaxation times less than 1 ?s, are capable of falsifying an ion spectrum. The ions present in combustion plasmas are described. Their kinetics of production by collisional and chemi-ionization processes, and recombination by both two and three-body schemes are measured for various flame compositions and temperatures. In addition, cross-sections are presented for reaction of H2O+ with various atoms and molecules, as wall as for dissociative attachment of electrons to HCl. As examples of thermodynamic information resulting from this type of study, the first hydration energies of a variety of positive ions are measured, as also are the ionization potentials of CaOH and SrOH.     

酮类有机物放电离子淌度谱研究

离子淌度谱是一种快速检测痕量挥发性有机物的高灵敏方法。在放电离子源离子淌度谱装置上,研究了八种酮类有机物的离子淌度谱。实验测量了各种离子的约化迁移率,其中丙酮、正丁酮、1-甲基-2-吡咯烷酮、环己酮、苯乙酮的实验结果与前人63Ni放射源离子淌度谱相一致,而甲基异丙基酮、4-甲基-2-戊酮、环戊酮单体和二聚体离子的约化迁移率则是首次报道。实验测量的约化迁移率与离子质量线性相关,获得的对酮类有机物检测灵敏度在ng·L-1量级。     

Isotope studies of hydrogen and oxygen in ground ice-experiences with the equilibration technique

Equilibration technique suitable for a large amount of samples is described for hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyses of ground ice, especially ice wedges, including the sampling strategy and the analytical procedure as well as the calibration of the Finnigan MAT Delta-S mass spectrometer in June, 1999. Since for future analyses of ice wedges, a higher sampling resolution with limited sample volume is required, the limit of the equilibration technique for small water sample sizes of between 0.05 and 5 ml was checked. For water samples smaller than 1 ml, corresponding to a molar ratio [H2O]/[H2] of smaller than 0.994, a balance correction has to be applied. The experimental errors due to partial evaporation during evacuation, the balance calculation of the isotope equilibration process, the linearity as well as memory effects of the mass spectrometer for samples with large differences in delta18O and deltaD are tackled in this paper. In the polar regions of Northern Siberia without Late Pleistocene and Holocene glaciation, ground ice is used as an archive for paleoclimate studies. First results of stable isotope measurements on ice wedges clearly show a shift towards heavier isotopes and thus warmer winter temperatures as well as a change in the source of the precipitation between Late Pleistocene and Holocene. These results indicate the high potential of ground ice for paleoclimate studies.     

A laser extraction/combustion technique for in situ delta(13)C analysis of organic and inorganic materials

A CO(2) laser extraction system is described for in situ delta(13)C analysis of organic and inorganic materials. Carbonaceous compounds volatilized by the laser are quantitatively converted to CO(2) gas by a combustion furnace mounted after the sample chamber. Gases produced by the laser and combustion processes are swept by helium carrier gas and separated by a packed gas chromatography column prior to their introduction to an isotope ratio monitoring mass spectrometer. A sample of lentil bean was analyzed at a spatial resolution of 200 μm and yielded delta(13)C values with precision of +/- 0.3 per thousand. The accuracy of delta(13)C measurements was better than +/- 0.5 per thousand from NBS 22 (mineral oil), USGS 24 (graphite), and IAEA CO-1 (calcium carbonate). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Routine analysis by high precision gas chromatography/mass selective detector/isotope ratio mass spectrometry to 0.1 parts per mil

Stable isotope methods are potentially quite useful for validating natural or enhanced mineral degradation of contaminants. For this reason, a continuous flow gas chromatograph (GC), isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) has been coupled with a quadrupole mass selective detector (MSD) to allow simultaneous mass spectral and stable carbon isotope ratio data to be obtained from a single chromatographic analysis. This allows the target contaminant and any extra-cellular degradation intermediates to be both qualified and quantified. Previously acceptable limits of precision (0.3 parts per mil) are undesirable given the small fractionation observed during aerobic degradation. To further understand the fate of organic contaminants and to gain information about the metabolic degradative pathway employed by a microorganism, routine isotopic analyses on a range of analytes have been performed. Quantities of sample producing mass-44 ion beam signal (I(44)) of 2 x 10(-10) to 1 x 10(-8) A were analysed. When the IRMS was tuned for high sensitivity, ion source nonlinearities were overcome by peak height correction from an algorithm that was produced using known isotopic standards of varying concentrations. This led to sample accuracy of <0.01 per thousand and sample precision of 0.1 per thousand. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cu~+、Ag~+、Au~+与乙硫醇的气相化学反应

利用激光溅射 分子束的技术 ,结合反射飞行时间质谱计 ,研究了Cu+、Ag+、Au+与乙硫醇的气相化学反应。结果显示这三种金属离子与 (CH3 CH2 SH) n 反应形成一系列团簇离子M+(CH3 CH2 SH) n,且团簇离子尺寸不一样。Ag+、Au+与乙硫醇的反应还生成了 (CH3 CH2 SH) +n ,由此推测Cu+、Ag+、Au+与乙硫醇团簇的反应存在两种通道 ,一种通道是生成M+(CH3 CH2 SH) n,另一种是生成 (CH3 CH2 SH) +n 。Cu+、Au+与乙硫醇的反应还生成了M+(H2 S) (M =Cu、Au) ,但是实验中没有观察到Ag+(H2 S) ,理论计算表明Ag+(H2 S)很不稳定。另外 ,分析产物离子M+(CH3 CH2 SH) n 的强度发现 ,n =1～ 2之间存在明显的强度突变现象     

AgF desalination procedure for the routine determination of oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of saline waters and brines

The routine methods for stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope analysis of water involve water–CO₂ gas equilibration and water reduction on hot metal (e.g. Zn, Cr, U) and subsequent mass spectrometric analysis of the evolved gases of CO₂ and H₂ for ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ²H/¹H ratios, respectively. Precise determination of the isotopic composition of water in brines with application of these standard methods is still problematic and technically often impossible due to detrimental influence of dissolved salts. The new method of brine desalination presented in this study overcomes the problem of the isotope salt effects encountered during the application of the routine techniques for the determination of the isotopic composition of high saline waters. The procedure combines two technical steps: (i) the chemical precipitation of Mg and Ca ions as insoluble non-hydroscopic fluorides, and (ii) the vacuum distillation of water from solution–precipitate mixture. The application of simple vacuum distillation allows full extraction of water and dehydration of remaining salts in a temperature range from 300 to 350?°C without hydrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation. The precision and accuracy of δ¹⁸O and δ²H determination of saline waters and brines with prior application of AgF desalination procedure is comparable with that usually obtained for fresh waters.     

Isotope-analytical results of a study of gas generation in L/ILW

The paper presents the results of a long-term measurement series using hermetic containers to make more precise quantitative estimation of the generation rates and radioactivity of the gas in a drum of low and intermediate level radioactive waste (L/ILW) packages. Development of special preparation lines and isotope-analytical measurements of the headspace gas samples were performed in the ATOMKI. Stable isotope measurements were executed from the CO₂ and CH₄ fractions by stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Noble gas (He) measurements were done by noble gas mass spectrometer. The tritium content of the vapour, H₂ and CH₄ fractions was measured in H₂O chemical form by a low background liquid scintillation counter. The ¹⁴C content of the CO₂ and CH₄ fractions of the headspace gas samples was measured by a low background gas proportional counter system.     

高分辨质谱用于分析和检测α-硫羰基硫代甲酰胺类化合物

苯乙酮及其衍生物与氯化亚砜反应所得中间产物再与仲胺反应得α－羰基硫代甲酰胺（1a-1f),经硫代得目标物α－硫羰基硫代甲酰胺（2a-2f)。化合物2a-2f含有二个硫羰基,为深红或深绿色晶体,可用作远红外吸收染料、激光Q开关及有机导体等。本文利用英国Micromass公司的OA－TOF高分辨质谱仪对α－硫羰基硫代甲酰胺类化合物的裂解行为进行了详细的研究。结果表明该类化合物容易失去S2分子形成特征的碎片离子M－S2（基峰）,为分析和检测这类化合物提供了一种有效的分析方法。OA－TOF高分辨质谱仪体积小、操作简单、快速,适合于分析纯的α－硫羰基硫代甲酰胺类化合物、检测混合物中及作为反应中间体的这类化合物。     

Direct equilibration of soil water for delta(18)O analysis and its application to tracer studies

Current methods for stable oxygen isotopic (delta (18)O) analysis of soil water rely on separation of water from the soil matrix before analysis. These separation procedures are not only time consuming and require relatively large samples of soil, but also have been shown to introduce a large potential source of error. Current research at Queen's University Belfast is focused on using direct equilibration of CO(2) with the pore water to eliminate this extraction step using the automated Multiprep system and a Micromass Prism III isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). The findings of this research indicate the method is less time consuming, more reliable, and reproducible to within accepted limits (+/-0.1% per thousand delta (18)O). In this study the direct equilibration method is used to analyse delta (18)O tracer profiles in the unsaturated zone of field soils, concurrently with chloride tracer profiles, which can be used to assess infiltration rates and mechanisms through the unsaturated zone. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Plasma Source Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Biological and Environmental Samples: Dealing with Potential Interferences

Introduction

Effectiveness of a plasma to dissociate the sample into ions has been the basis of the development of plasma source optical emission spectrometer (OES) and mass spectrometer (MS) for elemental and isotope analysis. Among the available ways of inducing and sustaining a plasma, only inductively coupled plasma (ICP) has gained commercial application. The ICP is an electrodeless discharge in a gas at atmospheric pressure, maintained by energy coupled to it from a radio frequency generator. This is done by a coupling coil, which functions as the primary of radio frequency transformer, the secondary of which is created by the discharge itself (Jarvis et al., 1992). An ICP-MS system consists of a plasma source (ICP) interfaced with a quadrupole MS. The plasma ionizes the elements of the sample and the MS serves as a detector that measures the mass to charge (m/z) ratio of the element(s) or isotope(s) of interest. Generally an argon (Ar) plasma is used, but other plasma sources have also been proposed (Brown et al., 1988; Satzger et al., 1987).