High Spatial Resolution Quantitative Imaging by Cross-calibration Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Synchrotron Micro-X-ray Fluorescence Technique

Age determinations using the 235U and 238U radioactive decay series to the daughter isotopes 207Pb and 206Pb, respectively, using the mineral zircon (ZrSiO4), are widely used to decipher geological processes. A new method developed in the last couple of years, the laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS), overcomes previous laborious sample preparation, and yields isotopic ratios and age data with a high spatial resolution of ten of microns. The present study describes the analytical set-up and data reduction process as presently applied at the Laboratory for Geochronology of the University of Brasília. It explores the precision and accuracy of the method by cross-analysing three international zircon standards. We arrive at a precision of 1.9 to 3.7% (2σ SD) and an accuracy of 0.6 to 3.8% (2σ SD) for and U isotopic ratios of the standards. We also apply the method to two natural zircon samples, which have previously been dated by other analytical methods. A comparison of the results show a good conformity of the age data,being whitin the error limits. The data demonstrate the great analytical potential of the method for rapid, precise and accurate U-Pb isotopic analyses on the micron scale.

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In situ study of Limoges painted enamels by portable X-ray fluorescence supported by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis of micro-samples

Microchemical Journal ◽

10.1016/j.microc.2017.09.017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 137 ◽

pp. 37-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Olga Syta ◽

Luiza Kępa ◽

Anna Mistewicz ◽

Catia Wesołowska ◽

Barbara Wagner

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Laser Ablation ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽

X Ray ◽

Spectrometry Analysis ◽

Inductively Coupled ◽

In Situ Study ◽

Plasma Mass Spectrometry

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Validation of Sr isotopes in otoliths by laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS): opening avenues in fisheries science applications

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f05-194 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 62 (11) ◽

pp. 2425-2430 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Rachel Barnett-Johnson ◽

Frank C Ramos ◽

Churchill B Grimes ◽

R Bruce MacFarlane

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Laser Ablation ◽

Spatial Resolution ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

High Spatial Resolution ◽

Fish Growth ◽

Ionization Mass ◽

Sr Isotopes ◽

Inductively Coupled ◽

Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Advances in probe-based mass spectrometry allow for high spatial resolution of elemental and isotopic signatures in fish otoliths that can be used to address fundamental questions in fisheries ecology. Analyses of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) otoliths from two river populations yield identical 87Sr/86Sr ratios using laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Results were obtained from freshwater otoliths with low Sr concentrations (300800 ppm) using high spatial resolution (50 µm) corresponding to temporal histories of ~12 days fish growth. Low natural variation in 87Sr/86Sr among otoliths from the same rivers allows for conservative estimates of external precision of techniques. Thus, we demonstrate that Sr isotope ratios obtained by LA-MC-ICPMS can be accurate and precise, bypassing the time-intensive sample preparation required by microdrilling and TIMS. This technique opens the use of Sr isotopes for broader ecological questions requiring large sample sizes to characterize nursery habitats, metapopulation dynamics, and stock discrimination similar to studies that focus on elemental concentrations, thereby providing a more robust tool for some freshwater and diadromous fishes.

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Comparison of accuracy, precision, and sensitivity in elemental assays of fish otoliths using the electron microprobe, proton-induced X-ray emission, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f97-117 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 54 (9) ◽

pp. 2068-2079 ◽

Cited By ~ 84

Author(s):

S E Campana ◽

S R Thorrold ◽

C M Jones ◽

D Günther ◽

M Tubrett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Laser Ablation ◽

Elemental Composition ◽

Electron Microprobe ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

X Ray ◽

Inductively Coupled ◽

Accuracy And Precision ◽

Plasma Mass Spectrometry ◽

Fish Otoliths

The elemental composition of fish otoliths is of considerable interest to those who wish to reconstruct temperature, migration, or environmental histories of individual fish based on assays of the otolith growth sequence. However, reported differences in otolith elemental composition among studies may be due in part to performance differences among four of the most popular instruments for targeted elemental analysis: wavelength-dispersive electron microprobe (WD-EM), energy-dispersive electron microprobe (ED-EM), proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). To rigorously compare the sensitivity, accuracy, and precision of these four analytical tools, the International Otolith Composition Experiment distributed blind-labelled real and artificial otoliths of known but varied elemental composition to eight laboratories for assay of 10 selected elements. No one instrument type was sensitive to each element, nor was any one instrument preferred for use in all assays. In general however, abundant elements such as Na and K could only be measured accurately with an electron microprobe, while the trace elements required PIXE or LA-ICPMS. Strontium could be measured with considerable accuracy and precision by WD-EM, PIXE, and LA-ICPMS. The presence of significant, and occasionally large, differences among laboratories suggests that comparisons among published studies should be made cautiously and only after appropriate calibration.

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