Research Article

Continuous flow stable isotope methods for study of δ13C fractionation during halomethane production and degradation

  1. Robert. M. Kalin1,2,*,
  2. John. T.G Hamilton3,
  3. David. B. Harper2,3,4,
  4. Laurence G. Miller5,
  5. Clare Lamb1,4,
  6. James. T. Kennedy3,
  7. Angela Downey1,
  8. Sean McCauley6,
  9. Allen H. Goldstein6

Article first published online: 20 FEB 2001

DOI: 10.1002/rcm.219

Issue

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry

Volume 15, Issue 5, pages 357–363, 15 March 2001

Additional Information

How to Cite

Kalin, Robert. M., Hamilton, John. T.G., Harper, David. B., Miller, L. G., Lamb, C., Kennedy, James. T., Downey, A., McCauley, S., Goldstein, A. H. (2001), Continuous flow stable isotope methods for study of δ13C fractionation during halomethane production and degradation. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 15: 357–363. doi: 10.1002/rcm.219

Author Information

  1. 1

    Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Civil Engineering, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK

  2. 2

    QUESTOR Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK

  3. 3

    Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK

  4. 4

    Microbial Biochemistry Section, School of Agriculture and Food Science, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK

  5. 5

    US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA

  6. 6

    Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

*Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Civil Engineering, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, UK;

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 20 FEB 2001
  2. Article first published online: 20 FEB 2001
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 12 DEC 2000
  4. Manuscript Received: 11 DEC 2000

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Abstract

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/MS/IRMS) methods for δ13C measurement of the halomethanes CH3Cl, CH3Br, CH3I and methanethiol (CH3SH) during studies of their biological production, biological degradation, and abiotic reactions are presented. Optimisation of gas chromatographic parameters allowed the identification and quantification of CO2, O2, CH3Cl, CH3Br, CH3I and CH3SH from a single sample, and also the concurrent measurement of δ13C for each of the halomethanes and methanethiol. Precision of δ13C measurements for halomethane standards decreased (±0.3, ±0.5 and ±1.3‰) with increasing mass (CH3Cl, CH3Br, CH3I, respectively). Given that carbon isotope effects during biological production, biological degradation and some chemical (abiotic) reactions can be as much as 100‰, stable isotope analysis offers a precise method to study the global sources and sinks of these halogenated compounds that are of considerable importance to our understanding of stratospheric ozone destruction. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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