Isotope-ratio-monitoring of O-2 for microanalysis of O-18/O-16 and O-17/O-16 in geological materials

Experiments were performed to test the viability of using isotope-ratio-mon itoring gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (irm-GCMS) as a means for isot opic analysis of nanomole quantities of O-2 released in a vacuum system sui table for laser extraction and fluorination. Several sources of error were identified and eliminated, including false signals from extraneous scattere d ions and adsorption of O-2 to metal surfaces. Results show that with appr opriate attention to these potential impediments, coupling high-precision i rm-GCMS to laser sampling of microgram quantities of silicate and oxide min erals is feasible. Copyright (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.