USGS-GD-Scientific Capabilities - STABLE ISOTOPES SULFUR 34 Technique

STABLE ISOTOPES

SULFUR 34

Technique
 
  • Element:
Sulfur delta34S (CDT)
  • Material:
    • sulfide minerals
    • sulfate minerals
    • aqueous sulfur species (H2S, bisulfide, thio/polysulfides, sulfates, etc.)
    • organic sulfur
    • native sulfur
    • aerosol (atmospheric) sulfate
    • gases (SO2, H2S, DMS: dimethyl sulfide, MSA: methyl sulfonic acid)
    • soluble sulfates/evaporites in mine drainage
    • precipitation sulfate (acid rain)
  • Form:
extract and process to sulfur dioxide, analyze as SO2 on mass spectrometer (as SF6 to avoid oxygen isotope correction and for 36S measurements)
  • Precision:
Typically ± 0.04 to 0.1 per mil
  • Applications:
Temperature, kinetics, sources and tracers, reaction pathways
  • Instruments:
Finnigan 252, VG Optima, Nuclide 6-60
  • Speciality Peripherals:
extraction lines, CO2 and Nd: YAG laser microbeam sampling, auto trappings/gas separation, fluorination line using F2 and BrF5 reagents to generate SF6, VG multi-element analyzer
  • Automation:
Yes - VG multi-element analyzer (~100/day)
  • Sample Size:
    • minimum: 1 nanomole as SO2 extracted from sample
    • typical: 20-60 micromole as SO2
 

 | Capabilities |
| Geochronology, Geochemistry, and Tracer Studies  |
| Geochemistry, and Tracer Studies  |

 

URL http://geology.cr.usgs.gov/capabilities/gronemtrac/geochem/stablei/sulfur/tech.html