Sa. Macko et al., STABLE ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL CARBOHYDRATES BY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC COMBUSTION ISOTOPE RATIO MASS-SPECTROMETRY/, Chemical geology, 152(1-2), 1998, pp. 205-210
Through the gas chromatographic/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrom
etry (GC/C/IRMS) determinations of alditol acetate derivatives of mono
saccharides, rapid analysis of the delta(13)C of individual sugars can
be accomplished with a precision of approximately +/- 0.3 parts per t
housand. Fractionations in carbon occurring during the bond rupture/de
rivatization procedure are reproducible, and thus permit the back calc
ulation to the original isotopic composition of the sugar prior to the
addition of the acetate groups. Limitations exist in the methodology,
including the production of asymmetric carbon center during reduction
steps, which need to be considered in interpretation of both chemical
and isotopic results. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reser
ved.