Sample matrix effects on measured carbon and oxygen isotope ratios during continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry.

Abstract

Continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) is frequently used to analyze CO2 found in media such as air, breath, and soil pore space gas with the aid of a sample preparation and transfer device such as a Gasbench II. This study investigated the effect that matrices other than helium (He) have on the measured δ(13)C and δ(18)O isotope ratios of CO2. Identical CO2 was added to sample vials with matrices of pure He, pure N2, or a 21:79 mixture of O2/N2 and analyzed by a ThermoFinnigan Delta(Plus) XP isotope-ratio mass spectrometer coupled to a ThermoFinnigan Gasbench II. Variables such as CO2 concentration, sample analysis sequence, and sample matrix removal ('blanking') through manipulation of an injection and dilution open split were tested to identify systematic isotope ratio offsets between the different matrix types. The process of blanking induced a δ(13)C and δ(18)O offset of ≤0.2‰ between otherwise identical populations of CO2 samples in He. The (13)C/(12)C and (18)O/(16)O isotope ratios of CO2 sampled from pure N2 or a mixture of O2/N2 were found to be within 0.1 to 0.2‰ of those of an identical CO2 sampled from a He matrix when N2 or O2/N2 was removed prior to transport to the mass spectrometer. The measured oxygen isotope ratios of CO2 sampled from N2 and O2/N2 varied by as much as 0.6‰ and 4‰, respectively, if matrix gas was not removed prior to ionization. Sampling CO2 from matrices similar to air does not significantly affect the measured (13)C/(12)C and (18)O/(16)O isotope ratios of CO2 when a gas-handling procedure that includes the removal of matrix gas is utilized. This procedure is much preferable to introducing matrix gas and potentially isobaric interference to the ion source.