Development of analytical methods for silicon stable isotope ratios and germanium/silicon ratio and their application to environmental samples.

Abstract

Since the early 2000s, various studies on Si stable isotope ratios have been conducted worldwide, while there are very few examples in Japan. The effectiveness of combined analyses of Ge/Si ratios has also been recommended as pseudo stable isotope ratio. Hence, it is important to establish an analytical platform in Japan where both indicators can be analyzed for applying these analyses to environmental samples. In this study, we developed a method for analyzing Si stable isotope ratios using MC-ICP-MS and for trace Ge analysis using isotope dilution hydride generation ICP-MS. We report an overview of these methods and present measurement results for several natural samples.