Abstract
Isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are specific membrane lipids derived from archaea, one of the three domains of life. These lipids can be used as biomarkers in paleo-ecological studies. GDGTs can be analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/mass spectrometry (MS). To quantify GDGTs, external standard curves were run monthly on the HPLC/MS. However, external standard curves represented a snapshot and do not adjust for changes during storage, dissolution and manipulation of samples or drifts in HPLC/MS conditions. To measure absolute GDGT abundances more accurately, we tested the use of a newly synthesized C 46 GDGT as an internal standard. The accuracy in the determination of GDGT concentration improved significantly when using the internal standard (5% standard deviation) compared to that obtained with the monthly external standard curve (43% standard deviation). Thus, the new internal standard technique will greatly improve the accuracy of GDGT abundance measurements, increase the potential of GDGTs in paleo-ecological studies.
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