High precision measurements of lithium isotopic composition at sub-nanogram by MC-ICP-MS with membrane desolvation.

The geochemistry of Li and Li isotopes is a promising tracer of chemical weathering processes for both modern and ancient times. Therefore, accurate and precise determination of the isotopic composition of Li is required for a large variety of complex geological samples with different Li concentrations and matrix/Li ratios. Especially, geochemical studies of precious geological samples with ultra-low lithium content and high matrix. In this study, the accuracy and the precision corresponding to Li isotopic measurements of low-level samples using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) with membrane desolvation introduction system was evaluated. The method of MC-ICP-MS with membrane desolvation and a high-sensitivity X-skimmer cone, together with a simple one-step column separation enabled the high-precision isotopic analysis of Li quantities as small as 2 ng. The long-term instrumental external reproducibility of δ7Li values for the L-SVEC and SPEX-Li were 0.0 ± 0.1‰ (n = 20) and 12.1 ± 0.4‰ (n = 20), respectively. Based on the measurements on a series of international reference materials over the last two years. The measured δ7Li values for the standards with a variety of matrices, including BHVO-2, AGV-2 and seawater (NASS-6). The δ7Li values of BHVO-2 (4.58 ± 0.35‰), AGV-2 (6.85 ± 0.40‰) and NASS-6 (30.88 ± 0.20‰) are in agreement with the published data within the uncertainty. We also present analytical results for South China Sea surface seawater water, meteorite, limestones and rain water. These results demonstrate the validity of the method for obtaining highly precise and accurate outcomes.

Spatial distribution and potential sources of arsenic and water-soluble ions in the snow at Ili River Valley, China.

Trace elements and water-soluble ions in snow can be used as indicators to reveal natural and anthropogenic emissions. To understand the chemical composition, characteristics of snow and their potential sources in the Ili River Valley (IRV), snow samples were collected from 17 sites in the IRV from December 2018 to March 2019. Inverse distance weighting, enrichment factor (EF) analysis, and backward trajectory modelling were applied to evaluate the spatial distributions and sources of water-soluble ions and dissolved arsenic (As) in snow. The results indicate that Ca2+ and SO42- were the dominant ions, and the concentrations of As ranged from 0.09 to 0.503 µg L-1. High concentrations of As were distributed in the northwest and middle of the IRV, and the concentrations of the major ions were high in the west of the IRV. The strong correlation of As with F-, SO42-, and NO2- demonstrates that As mainly originated from coal-burning and agricultural activities. Principal component analysis showed that the ions originated from a combination of anthropogenic and crustal sources. The EFs showed that K+, SO42-, and Mg2+ were mainly influenced by human activities. Backward trajectory cluster analysis suggested that the chemical composition of snow was affected by soil dust transport from the western air mass, the unique terrain, and local anthropogenic activities. These results provide important scientific insights for atmospheric environmental management and agricultural production within the IRV.

Accurate and precise determination of boron isotopic ratios at low concentration by positive thermal ionization mass spectrometry using static multicollection of Cs2BO2+ ions.

A static double-collector system for accurate, precise, and rapid boron isotope analysis has been established by employing a newly fixed Faraday H3 and H4 cup enabling simultaneously collected Cs2BO2(+) ion beams (m/z = 308 and 309) on a Finnigan-MAT Triton thermal ionization mass spectrometer of boron (Triton B). The experimental result indicated that Cs2BO2(+) ion beams (m/z = 308 and 309) were simultaneously collected using a fixed Faraday H3 and H4 cup without using the "Zoom Quad" function and reduced accelerating voltage. Furthermore, the method enabled the measurement of samples containing as little as 20 ng of boron. An analysis of the National Institute of Standards and Technology standard reference material (NIST SRM) 951 standard showed external reproducibility (2RSD) of ±0.013‰, ± 0.013‰, and ±0.019‰ for 100, 50, and 20 ng of boron, respectively. The present method of static multicollection of Cs2BO2(+) ions is applicable to a wide field of boron isotopic research that requires high precision and accuracy to analyze samples with low boron concentrations, including pore fluids, foraminifera, rivers, rainwater, and other natural samples.