Issue 10, 2001

Abstract

New generation multicollector ICP mass spectrometers are now being widely used for precise isotope ratio measurements. Different instruments show marked differences in abundance sensitivity, which, if corrected using the conventional thermal ionization mass spectrometry method of half-mass zeroes, result in large inaccuracies in isotope ratios. It is shown that a tail correction based on measurements of mono-isotopic ion beams is essential to obtain isotope ratio accuracy on instruments with poorer abundance sensitivity. This effect can largely explain published artefacts in MC-ICP-MS Pb isotope determination (M. Rehkämper and K. Mezger, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2000, 15, 1451).

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Apr 2001
Accepted
31 Jul 2001
First published
18 Sep 2001

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2001,16, 1121-1125

Inappropriate tail corrections can cause large inaccuracy in isotope ratio determination by MC-ICP-MS

M. Thirlwall, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2001, 16, 1121 DOI: 10.1039/B103828C

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