Rv. Krishnamurthy et al., A SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE CARBONATE PHOSPHORIC-ACID REACTION METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF CARBON AND OXYGEN ISOTOPES OF CARBONATES, Analytical chemistry, 69(20), 1997, pp. 4256-4258
a simple and inexpensive method for reacting carbonate samples with ph
osphoric acid for the measurement of stable carbon and oxygen isotope
ratios in carbonates is described. The technique is applied to samples
taken inr a sealed septum tube inside which a small tube is attached
using ordinary household glue. The acid is loaded into this small tube
. The whole assembly is evacuated and the vessel is tilted so-that the
acid makes contact with the carbonate. Isotope determinations were ma
de using calcite at 25 degrees C and calcite and dolomite at 50 degree
s C. With dolomite, the reaction was complete in 12 h. Measurements of
yield and isotope ratios confirm that this method is as good as the t
raditional method, which uses potentially breakable Pyrex reaction ves
sels and costly grease or greaseless stopcocks.