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Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (3)
The phosphorylation of p-tert-butylcalix[8]arene (1) with phosphorus pentachloride and hydrolysis gives intramolecular bridging tert-butylcalix[8]arene triphosphates. The reactivity (esterification, dehydratisation, complexation), the structure (nmr and x-ray), and the stereochemical behaviour of the phosphates will be discussed.
Seabird excrements (guano) have been preserved in the arid climate of Northern Chile since at least the Pliocene. The deposits of marine organic material in coastal areas potentially open a window into the present and past composition of the coastal ocean and its food web. We use the stable isotope composition of nitrogen and carbon as well as element contents to compare the principal prey of the birds, the Peruvian anchovy, with the composition of modern guano. We also investigate the impact of diagenetic changes on the isotopic composition and elemental contents of the pure ornithogenic sediments, starting with modern stratified deposits and extending to fossil guano. Where possible, 14C systematics is used for age information. The nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of the marine prey (Peruvian anchovy) of the birds is complex as it shows strong systematic variations with latitude. The detailed study of a modern profile that represents a few years of guano deposition up to present reveals systematic changes in nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition towards heavier values that increase with age, i.e. depth. Only the uppermost, youngest layers of modern guano show compositional affinity to the prey of the birds. In the profile, the simultaneous loss of nitrogen and carbon occurs by degassing, and non-volatile elements like phosphorous and calcium are passively enriched in the residual guano. Fossil guano deposits are very low in nitrogen and low in carbon contents, and show very heavy nitrogen isotopic compositions. One result of the study is that the use of guano for tracing nitrogen and carbon isotopic and elemental composition in the marine food web of the birds is restricted to fresh material. Despite systematic changes during diagenesis, there is little promise to retrieve reliable values of marine nitrogen and carbon signatures from older guano. However, the changes in isotopic composition from primary marine nitrogen isotopic signatures towards very heavy values generate a compositionally unique material. These compositions trace the presence of guano in natural ecosystems and its use as fertilizer in present and past agriculture.
Isotope reference materials are needed to calibrate and validate analytical procedures used for the determination of isotope amount ratios, procedurally defined isotope ratios or so-called δ values. In contrast to the huge analytical progress in isotope ratio analytics, the production of isotope reference materials has not kept pace with the increasing needs of isotope analysts. Three representative isotope systems are used to explain the technical and non-technical difficulties and drawbacks, on one hand, and to demonstrate what can be achieved at its best, on the other hand. A clear statement is given that new isotope reference materials are needed to obtain traceable and thus comparable data, which is essential for all kinds of isotope research. The range of available isotope reference materials and δ reference materials should be increased and matrix reference materials certified for isotope compositions or δ values, which do not exist yet, should be provided.
Gravimetric synthetic mixtures of seven enriched, purified cadmium isotope materials were used to determine the correction factors for mass fractionation (MC-TIMS) and mass discrimination (MC-ICP-MS). The isotope abundance ratios determined for various natural cadmium materials represents the isotope composition for natural cadmium materials. Correction of the isotope abundance ratios observed yielded isotope abundances of 106Cd 0.012450(8), 108Cd 0.008884(4), 110Cd 0.124846(16), 111Cd 0.127955(14), 112Cd 0.241110(38), 113Cd 0.122254(22), 114Cd 0.287439(60) and 116Cd 0.075183(32). The newly determined atomic weight of natural cadmium based on SI-traceable evaluation of the isotope abundance ratios is 112.41384(18). The cadmium material designated in the paper as Cd-2211 can be used as an isotope reference material with a δ(114Cd/110Cd)-value of 0. The results obtained show that the uncertainties for the isotope abundances and the atomic weight given as IUPAC values for cadmium are overestimated.
A layer of Sb atoms, implanted with an energy of 400 keV and a nominal dose of 5×1016 atoms/cm2 into a high purity silicon wafer, was certified for its areal density (atoms/cm2) using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) and for its isotope ratio using INAA and ICP-IDMS. Excellent agreement between the results of the different independent methods was found. In the present work, the measurements of the homogeneity of the areal density of Sb, previously determined with RBS in spots having 1 mm diameter, are improved with synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis: Higher precision in even smaller sample spots allows to estimate a reduced inhomogeneity of the whole batch of samples of the order of only 0.4%. Thus the uncertainty of the certified value can further be reduced. Down to fractions of a chip with 0.3×0.4 mm2 area, the areal density is now certified as (4.81±0.06)×1016 Sb atoms/cm2, where the expanded uncertainty 0.06 (coverage factor k=2) corresponds to only 1.2%. The relative merits of the different analytical methods are discussed.
Production of three certified reference materials for the sulfur content in gasoline (petrol)
(2007)
Directive 2003/17/EC of the European Parliament and the European Council stipulates that petrol (gasoline) with a total sulfur content below 10 mg kg-1 must be available in all European Union member states by 2009. Three certified reference materials were produced in support of this directive in a joint effort of the members of the European Reference Materials Initiative (ERM). Two of the materials were made from commercial petrol, while the third one was prepared from a blend of commercial petrols. Relative between-ampule heterogeneity of the materials was quantified and found to be below 2.5%. Potential degradation during storage and dispatch was quantified, and shelf lives based on these values were set. The three materials were characterized by three institutes using different variants of isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. The results from the three institutes were combined, and the final uncertainties of the respective sulfur mass fractions were estimated including contributions from heterogeneity, stability, and characterization. The following mass fractions were derived: ERM-EF211, 48.8 ± 1.7 mg kg-1; ERM-EF212, 20.2 ± 1.1 mg kg-1; and ERM-EF213, 9.1 ± 0.8 mg kg-1.
The white-rot fungus Hypholoma fasciculare coexists with a bacterial community that uses low-molecular weight carbon sources provided by fungal, extracellular enzyme activities. Since fungal development on wood is limited by the availability of nitrogen (N), bacteria could contribute to the N supply. To prove or disapprove an interaction in terms of N transfer, N sources of the fungus and the coexisting bacterial isolates were investigated, and the bacterial N2 fixation was quantified. Fungal, fungal—bacterial and bacterial wood decomposition was analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mass loss and surface pH. Microbial N preferences were investigated by elemental analysis isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). In addition, diazotrophic activity was explored after cultivation under a 15N2/O2 atmosphere. Decomposition was similar with and without bacteria and both H. fasciculare and coexisting bacteria preferred reduced N species, such as urea, ammonium and organic N. In most of the bacteria, the 15N abundance in the biomass increased significantly but to a low extent if they were cultivated under a 15N2/O2 atmosphere. This effect is considered an artefact and attributed to adsorption rather than to bacterial N2 fixation activity. Hence, the bacteria coexisting with H. fasciculare rather competed for the same N sources than supported fungal N supply by diazotrophic activity.
Nitrogen sources of oligoporus placenta and trametes versicolor evaluated in a 2³ experimental plan
(2012)
Four full-factorial 2³ experimental plans were applied to evaluate the nitrogen (N) sources of Oligoporus placenta and Trametes versicolor and their interaction with the atmospheric N2-assimilating bacterium Beijerinckia acida. The effects of N from peptone, of sapwood and of N from gaseous N2 on fungal, bacterial and fungal–bacterial activity were investigated. The activities were determined by quantification of biomass, formation of CO2, consumption of O2 and laccase activity. The significance of each effect was tested according to t-test recommendation.
The activity of both fungi was enhanced by peptone rather than sapwood or gaseous N2. Nevertheless, comparative studies under an N2-free gas mixture as well as under air revealed that the presence of N2 affected bacterial growth and bacterial–fungal cocultivations. Elemental analysis isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) of the bacterial and fungal biomass enabled estimation of N transfer and underlined gaseous N2 as requisite for fungal–bacterial interactions. Combining full-factorial experimental plans with an analytical set-up comprising gas chromatography, IRMS and enzymatic activity allowed synergistic effects to be revealed, fungal N sources to be traced, and symbiotic fungal–bacterial interactions to be investigated.
Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) is an advanced method to investigate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in organic samples. In particular, the N content, its isotope signature and the C/N ratio reveal important facts of nutrient cycling, niche separation and ecological food webs. In this study, the characteristics of N turnover of wood decomposing microorganisms were investigated.
The growth of the white rot causing basidiomycete Trametes versicolor is enhanced after addition of ammonia or urea, whereas the brown rot causing Oligoporus placenta is not accelerated. In addition, an interaction of each fungus with atmospheric N2 assimilating (diazotrophic) bacteria was investigated. Cultivation experiments with a gas mixture of 15N2/O2 and subsequent IRMS analysis of dry biomass of the diazotrophs Azotobacter croococcum, Beijerinckia acida and Novosphingobium nitrogenifigens revealed that they assimilated up to 12% of their N from N2. The experiments reflected N availability as a prerequisite for efficient growth of decomposing basidiomycetes and diazotrophs. Fungal–bacterial co-cultivation experiments showed that depending on the growth characteristics and bacterial N2 assimilation activity N is transferred from certain bacteria into fungal biomass. Thus, the experiments gave a first indication of an interaction between wood decomposing basidiomycetes and diazotrophs, which is a novel pathway of fungal N acquisition.
Neue, verbesserte und SI-rückgeführte Atomgewichtsbestimmung von Cd mit MC-TIMS und MC-IPC-MS
(2003)
In this study, an analytical procedure for multi-element screening of 40 elements in milk and feed samples was developed. Three different digestion and two different calibration methods were tested for the best suitability. The analytical procedure for the quantification of minor and trace elements is based on sector field ICP-MS (SF-ICP-MS). The method validation revealed good agreement between the determined elemental mass fractions and the certified values of two milk and three feed reference materials. Milk samples of dairy cows at different feeding regimes were collected from two different farms. The results of our study showed significant differences of nine elemental mass fractions (Li, P, Mn, Co, Cu, Rb, Sr, Br, I) between milk from the two locations. Further, a correlation between the elemental mass fractions of milk and the ingested feed and water was observed.
Messtechnik
(2002)
Isotope reference materials are essential to enable reliable and comparable isotope data. This article reviews the work in this field within the past years. The focus is on all stable elements, except for classical stable isotopes (H, C, N, O, S) and for radioactive elements. Currently available isotope reference materials are listed. The limitations of synthetic isotope mixtures being used to characterize these materials are discussed, as well as the limitations of the isotope reference materials, such as uncertainty and homogeneity. The needs for present research on isotope variations are being considered and are compared to the limitations of current isotope reference materials. This disagreement between both can only be solved by providing isotope reference materials defining a δ-scale for each element of interest. Such materials should be provided with additional data on isotope abundances whenever possible. As an outlook a possible outline for a new program on isotope reference materials is discussed.
The variation of isotope abundance ratios is increasingly used to unravell natural and technical questions. In the past the investigation and interpretation of such variations was the field of a limited number of experts. With new upcoming techniques and research topics in the last decades, such as provenance and authenticity of food, the number of published isotope data strongly increased. The development of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICPMS) from an instrument for simple quantitative analysis to highly sophisticated isotope abundance ratio machines influenced this process significantly. While in former times only experts in mass spectrometry were able to produce reproducible isotope data, nowadays many laboratories, never been in touch with mass spectrometry before, produce isotope data with an ICPMS. Especially for such user isotope reference materials (IRM) are indispensible to enable a reliable method validation. The fast development and the broad availability of ICPMS also lead to an expansion of the classical research areas and new elements are under investigation. Here all users require IRM to correct for mass fractionation or mass discrimination or at least to enable isotope data related to a common accepted basis. Despite this growing interest suitable IRM are still lacking for a number of isotope systems such as magnesium.
An ICP-MS equipped with collision cell, sector field and multi-collector technology has been applied to developing analytical procedures for Fe in terms of isotope ratio measurements and isotope dilution analysis. Therefore a detailed study on the reduction of molecular interferences by a variety of collision gases (He, Ar, Kr, H2, D2 and N2) was performed. The efficiency of the reduction has been checked by high resolution mass scans. The argon based interferences disturbing the determination of 54Fe and 56Fe could be completely removed when using Faraday detectors. The interferences on mass 57 could be reduced to a level which enables accurate measurements. Also, the 40Ar12C interference, which disturbs the chromium correction, could be completely removed. Reproducibilities of 0.01% could be reached for 54Fe/56Fe isotope ratios and 0.02% for 57Fe/56Fe isotope ratios. Under these measurement conditions a sensitivity of 1.2 V per 50 µg kg1 Fe is available. This corresponds to 1.5 × 109 cps per mg kg1. Based on these results highly accurate procedures for Fe isotope ratio determinations were set up, reaching a performance level superior to that of other ICP-MS instruments. Consequently, IDMS procedures were developed on this basis in order to perform certification measurements at the highest metrological level. The first application was the contribution to the Fe reference value by IMEP-12, an interlaboratory comparison with approximately 350 participants worldwide. The analysed Fe mass content is 0.2150 mg kg1 with its expanded uncertainty (k= 2) of 0.0012 mg kg1(0.56%), which is ten times less than the uncertainty of the second certification laboratory. Another application was the certification campaign of the two reference materials Tea Leaves and Polish Herbs. The results obtained with the ICP-MS procedure, 542 ± 11 mg kg1 and 543 ± 12 mg kg1, were compared with the results analysed by TIMS, 541 ± 12 mg kg1 and 541 ± 13 mg kg1, and agree very well within the stated uncertainties (k= 2). The results presented demonstrate quite well the suitability of the developed IDMS procedures for certification or reference measurements.
The quantitative analysis of toxic metals in plastics is very important for different sectors of industry and daily life. Many routine procedures have been established based on X-ray fluorescence or inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. However, all of them require suitable reference materials to calibrate or validate. These reference materials ideally are being certified by reference procedures. The development of such reference procedures for sulfur and the four toxic elements cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead in plastics is described here. The procedures are based on double isotope dilution mass spectrometry including analyte–matrix separation. The applied mass spectrometric techniques are thermal ionization mass spectrometry as well as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Memory effects of mercury and dissolution of chromium(III) oxide have been considered especially. The expanded uncertainties have been improved from the percent range down to the per mill range during the development of the procedure from the early analysis of BCR-680/681 to the recent analysis of CCQM-P106. With the fully developed procedures expanded uncertainties (k = 2) between 0.1 and 0.4% for cadmium, chromium, lead and sulfur and around 1% for mercury can be achieved. The so developed procedures have been successfully applied to the certification of reference materials as well as to intercomparisons organized by CCQM.
Boron isotope studies on technical materials and geological and environmental samples are one hot topic in nowadays isotope research. Provenance studies of artefacts, food and other products might become another one, as several recent studies demonstrate. Typically boron isotope determinations have been carried out by TIMS. To open up this research field to a broader scientific community we developed two analytical procedures for boron isotope determinations based on single collector SF-ICPMS combined with a sample preparation procedure consisting of dry-ashing and a three step ion chromatographic boron-matrix separation. The developed procedures consist of one low resolution (LR) and one medium resolution (MR) procedure. The repeatability for the δ11B determination in three independently measured aliquots lies between 0.2 and 0.8‰ for the LR procedure and between 0.3 and 1.5‰ for the MR procedure. The expanded uncertainties with a coverage factor of k=2 range between 1.4 and 1.6‰ for the LR procedure and between 2.9 and 3.2‰ for the MR procedure. The accuracy, expressed as average deviation from the reference values, is 0.43‰ for the LR procedure and 0.33‰ for the MR procedure. To test the practicability of the procedures the matrix tolerance has been investigated as well and was found to be up to 2 mg kg-1 of alkaline and alkaline earth elements in the final measurement solution containing 100 µg kg-1 boron. Thus a highly efficient matrix separation for SF-ICPMS boron isotope determinations is required, similar to TIMS.
Development and validation of a method to determine the boron isotopic composition of crop plants
(2011)
We present a comprehensive chemical and mass spectrometric method to determine boron isotopic compositions of plant tissue. The method including dry ashing, a three-step ion chromatographic boron–matrix separation, and 11B/10B isotope ratio determinations using the Cs2BO2+ graphite technique has been validated using certified reference and quality control materials. The developed method is capable to determine δ11B values in plant tissue down to boron concentrations of 1 mg/kg with an expanded uncertainty of ≤1.7‰ (k = 2). The determined δ11B values reveal an enormous isotopic range of boron in plant tissues covering three-quarters of the natural terrestrial occurring variation in the boron isotopic composition. As the local environment and anthropogenic activity mainly control the boron intake of plants, the boron isotopic composition of plants can be used for food provenance studies.
The ?- branching ratio of 64Cu was determined by investigating the resulting decay products in copper doped by neutron transmutation. The numbers of 64Zn and 64Ni atoms were analyzed using isotope dilution analysis combined with thermal ionization mass spectrometry. A ?- branching ratio of (38.06±0.30)% was obtained, which agrees with the study of Kawada (Appl. Radiat. Isot. 37 (1) (1986) 7) to a higher accuracy. However, our result differs from the value cited in the NUDAT database of (39.0±0.3)%.
The present work describes the development of an existing TIMS procedure to a reference procedure for low sulfur concentration measurements in fossil fuels. With this enhanced procedure SI-traceable sulfur mass fractions below 10 mg kg-1 can be obtained. The achieved detection limit is approximately 0.2 mg kg-1. The procedure was validated by certified reference materials. The procedure was already applied to candidate reference materials and to samples analysed within projects of the Comité Consultatif pour la Quantité de Matière CCQM.
Additionally the influence of the isotopic composition on the results and its corresponding uncertainty was studied. Reference data published in the literature on the isotopic composition of sulfur were assessed.
A thin-layer reference material for surface and near-surface analytical methods was produced and certified. The surface density of the implanted Sb layer was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) equipped with a multi-collector. The isotopic abundances of Sb (121Sb and 123Sb) were determined by multi-collector ICP-MS and INAA. ICP-IDMS measurements are discussed in detail in this paper. All methods produced values traceable to the SI and are accompanied by a complete uncertainty budget. The homogeneity of the material was measured with RBS. From these measurements the standard uncertainty due to possible inhomogeneities was estimated to be less than 0.78% for fractions of the area increments down to 0.75 mm2 in size. Excellent agreement between the results of the three different methods was found. For the surface density of implanted Sb atoms the unweighted mean value of the means of four data sets is 4.8121016 cm-2 with an expanded uncertainty (coverage factor k=2) of 0.0921016 cm-2. For the isotope amount ratio R (121Sb/123Sb) the unweighted mean value of the means of two data sets is 1.435 with an expanded uncertainty (coverage factor k=2) of 0.006.
A comparison of different isotope dilution mass spectrometric (IDMS) procedures using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) was carried out to examine the degree of equivalence between the used procedures in terms of requirements for reference material certification. The comparison was based on the measurement results and their uncertainties. The sample used in this study is a pure zinc metal to be certified by the Bureau Communie de Référence (BCR) for amount contents of different trace elements. This study focuses on cadmium and thallium. The TIMS values contributed to the certified values. To guarantee identical conditions as far as possible for the procedures under investigation, the samples were split into subsamples after spiking and digestion took place. Thus, every IDMS procedure started with an identical set of samples. In total, four different IDMS procedures and one external calibration procedure using internal standardization as an example of routine analysis were applied. The IDMS procedures divide in a group with and a group without trace/matrix separation. Multicollector TIMS (TI-MC-MS) and multicollector ICPMS (ICP-MC-MS) were used in combination with trace/matrix separation, whereas quadrupole ICPMS (ICP-QMS) and ICP-MC-MS were also applied to nonseparated samples. All IDMS results agree well within their combined uncertainties, while some results from the external calibration procedure do not. IDMS results obtained by ICPMS without separation are comparable to those obtained by TI-MC-MS with separation regarding precision and accuracy. The smallest uncertainties were achieved using ICP-MC-MS in combination with trace/matrix separation.
The neutron transmutation doping (NTD) of highly pure copper with zinc was investigated as a promising means of achieving controlled gradation of the zinc content in the range 1-20 wg g-1. The doping process leads to the enrichment of two stable isotopes 64Zn and 66Zn in a ratio which differs from that of natural isotopic distribution. Mass spectrometric investigations by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) were performed to validate the results obtained by gamma spectrometry. The investigations included both determination of the isotopic ratios of the doped zinc isotopes and the analysis of the accumulated zinc contents by isotope dilution (ID) analysis. Thereby a sample-specific correction of the blank could be performed because the isotope 68Zn was not influenced, because of the transmutation process. The results obtained by TIMS prove the strict proportionality of the doped zinc content, in the range 5 to 20 wg g-1, to the neutron fluence. Comparison with gamma spectrometric results showed a very good agreement within the uncertainties.
The main wood degraders in aerobic terrestrial ecosystems belong to the white- and brown-rot fungi, where their biomass can be created on wood decay only. However, total sulfur (S) concentration in wood is very low and only little is known about the different sulfur compounds in wood today. Sulfur-starved brown-rot fungi Gloeophyllum trabeum and Oligoporus placenta were incubated on sterilized pine wood blocks whereas Lentinus cyathiformis and the white-rot fungi Trametes versicolor were incubated on sterilized beech wood blocks. After 19 weeks of incubation, the S oxidation status was analyzed in wood, in degraded wood, and in biomass of wood-degrading fungi by synchrotron based S K-edge XANES, and total S and sulfate were quantified. Total sulfur and sulfate content in pine wood blocks were approximately 50 and 1 µg g-1, respectively, while in beech wood approximately 100 and 20 µg g-1 were found, respectively. Sulfur in beech was dominated by sulfate-esters. In contrast, pine wood also contained larger amounts of reduced S. Three out of four selected fungi caused a reduction of the S oxidation state in wood from oxidized S (sulfate-ester, sulfate) to intermediate S (sulfonate, sulfoxide) or reduced S (thiols, e.g., proteins, peptides, enzyme cofactors). Only O. placenta shifted thiol to sulfonate. Growth experiments of these fungi on selective minimal media showed that in particular cysteine (thiol), sulfonates, and sulfate enhanced total mycelium growth. Consequently, wood-degrading fungi were able to utilize a large variety of different wood S sources for growth but preferentially transformed in vivo sulfate-esters and thiol into biomass structures.
The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of urine and milk samples from cattle under different feeding regimes were analysed over a period of six months. The isotope ratios were measured with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The δ13C values of milk and urine were dependent on different feeding regimes based on C3 or C4 plants. The δ13C values are more negative under grass feeding than under maize feeding. The δ13C values of milk are more negative compared to urine and independent of the feeding regime. Under grass feeding the analysed milk and urine samples are enriched in 13C relative to the feed, whereas under maize feeding the 13C/12C ratio of urine is in the same range and milk is depleted in 13C relative to the diet. The difference between the 15N/14N ratios for the two feeding regimes is less pronounced than the 13C/12C ratios. The δ15N values in urine require more time to reach the new equilibrium, whereas the milk samples show no significant differences between the two feeding regimes.
Boron isotope compositions of crop plants: A new tracer for the origin and authenticity of food
(2009)
The wood protection industry has refined their products from chrome-, copper-, and arsenate-based wood preservatives toward solely copper-based preservatives in combination with organic biocides. One of these is Cu-HDO, containing the chelation product of copper and N-cyclohexyldiazenium dioxide (HDO). In this study, the fate of isotope-labeled (13C) and nonlabeled (12C) Cu-HDO incorporated in wood sawdust mixed with soil was investigated. HDO concentration was monitored by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The total carbon and the δ13C content of respired CO2, as well as of the soil-wood-sawdust mixture, were determined with an elemental analyzer-isotopic ratio mass spectrometer. The concentration of HDO decreased significantly after 105 days of incubation, and after 24 days the 13CO2 concentration respired from soil increased steadily to a maximum after 64 days of incubation. Phospholipid fatty acid-stable isotope probing (PFA-SIP) analysis revealed that the dominant PFAs C19:0d8,9, C18:0, C18:1ω7, C18:2ω6,9, C17:1d7,8, C16:0, and C16:1ω7 were highly enriched in their δ13C content. Moreover, RNA-SIP identified members of the phylum Acidobacteria and the genera Phenylobacterium and Comamonas that were assimilating carbon from HDO exclusively. Cu-HDO as part of a wood preservative effectively decreased fungal wood decay and overall microbial respiration from soil. In turn, a defined bacterial community was stimulated that was able to metabolize HDO completely.
A modified Pb–matrix separation procedure using NH4HCO3 solution as eluent has been developed and validated for determination of Pb isotope amount ratios by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The procedure is based on chromatographic separation using the Pb·Spec resin and an in-house-prepared NH4HCO3 solution serving as eluent. The advantages of this eluent are low Pb blanks (<40 pgmL-1) and the property that NH4HCO3 can be easily removed by use of a heating step (>60 °C). Pb recovery is >95 % for water samples. For archaeological silver samples, however, the Pb recovery is reduced to approximately 50 %, but causes no bias in the determination of Pb isotope amount ratios. The validated procedure was used to determine lead isotope amount ratios in Trojan silver artefacts with expanded uncertainties (k=2) <0.09 %.