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instrumental techniques applied to mineralogy and geochemistry

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Alike as two water drops: distinguishing one source of the same substance from another 87<br />

Elemental Analyzers<br />

An elemental analyzer coupled <strong>to</strong> a magnetic sec<strong>to</strong>r mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS)<br />

gives the bulk iso<strong>to</strong>pic composition of the sample. Depending on the specific set up, it is<br />

possible <strong>to</strong> measure iso<strong>to</strong>pic ratios of H, C, N, O <strong>and</strong> S in a range of solid <strong>and</strong> liquid<br />

matrices.<br />

In combustion mode, C-, N- <strong>and</strong> S-containing materials are loaded in<strong>to</strong> Sn<br />

capsules, which are dropped in<strong>to</strong> a reac<strong>to</strong>r packed with suitable catalists. O 2 is admitted<br />

in<strong>to</strong> the reac<strong>to</strong>r, resulting in flash combustion of the sample <strong>to</strong> a mixture of N 2 , NO, CO 2 ,<br />

O 2 , SO 2 <strong>and</strong> H 2 O, depending on the nature of the substances combusted. This gas mix is<br />

carried by the He flow <strong>to</strong> a reduction reac<strong>to</strong>r, where NO x are reduced <strong>to</strong> N 2 , <strong>and</strong> excess<br />

O 2 is eliminated. Water is eliminated in a chemical trap, <strong>and</strong> the gases of interest<br />

separated on a suitable chroma<strong>to</strong>graphy column.<br />

The pyrolysis mode is employed for the analysis of O <strong>and</strong>/or H. For oxygen,<br />

samples are loaded in<strong>to</strong> Ag capsules <strong>and</strong> dropped in<strong>to</strong> a ceramic reac<strong>to</strong>r lined by a glassy<br />

carbon tube in the inside, <strong>and</strong> packed with nickelized carbon, where the sample is<br />

pyrolyzed <strong>to</strong> CO. As before, water is chemically trapped, <strong>and</strong> contaminant gases<br />

separated by chroma<strong>to</strong>graphy. H from water samples is obtained by injecting 0.2-0.4 μl<br />

via a liquid au<strong>to</strong>sampler on<strong>to</strong> a reac<strong>to</strong>r packed with Cr.<br />

GC-C-IRMS<br />

CSIA is possible by coupling a GC <strong>to</strong> the mass spectrometer via a combustion<br />

interface. Initially, only C could be determined. Later on, however, modifications were<br />

made that allow measurement of N, O, <strong>and</strong> H iso<strong>to</strong>pe ratios.<br />

In its simplest form, the interface is an oven packed with an oxidant (CuO, NiO, Pt,<br />

… depending on manufacturer). The compounds eluted from the chroma<strong>to</strong>graphy<br />

column are carried by the He flow; combusted in the interface, <strong>and</strong> carried in<strong>to</strong> the<br />

source of the mass spectrometer. H 2 O generated during combustion is physically<br />

eliminated by membrane diffusion. If N is <strong>to</strong> be determined, an additional reduction<br />

oven is required. Precise 15 N measurements depend on quantitative exclusion of CO 2<br />

(since this fragments in the source in<strong>to</strong> CO + , which isobarically interferes with N 2 at<br />

masses 28 <strong>and</strong> 29). To this end, a cryogenic trap is placed before the inlet of the mass<br />

spectrometer. This requirement prevents C <strong>and</strong> N being determined on the same sample.

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