Compound Specific Stable Isotope Analysis

The use of Compound-specific Stable Isotope Analysis (CSIA) is increasing in many areas of science and technology for source allocation, authentication, and characterization of transformation reactions. Until now, there have been no textbooks available for students with an analytical chemical background or basic introductory books emphasising the instrumentation and theory. This book is the first to focus solely on stable isotope analysis of individual compounds in sometimes complex mixtures. It acts as both a lecture companion for students and a consultant for advanced scientists in fields including forensic and environmental science. The book starts with a brief history of the field before going on to explain stable isotopes from scratch. The different ways to express isotope abundances are introduced together with isotope effects and isotopic fractionation. A detailed account of the required technical equipment and general procedures for CSIA is provided. This includes sections on derivatization and the use of microextraction techniques in GC-IRMS. The very important topic of referencing and calibration in CSIA is clearly described. This differs from approaches used in quantitative analysis and is often difficult for the newcomer to comprehend. Examples of successful applications of CSIA in food authenticity, forensics, archaeology, doping control, environmental science, and extraterrestrial materials are included. Applications in isotope data treatment and presentation are also discussed and emphasis is placed on the general conclusions that can be drawn from the uses of CSIA. Further instrumental developments in the field are highlighted and selected experiments are introduced that may act as a basis for a short practical course at graduate level.

The Encyclopedia is a complete and authoritative reference work for this rapidly evolving field. Over 200 international scientists, each experts in their specialties, have written over 330 separate topics on different aspects of geochemistry including geochemical thermodynamics and kinetics, isotope and organic geochemistry, meteorites and cosmochemistry, the carbon cycle and climate, trace elements, geochemistry of high and low temperature processes, and ore deposition, to name just a few. The geochemical behavior of the elements is described as is the state of the art in analytical geochemistry. Each topic incorporates cross-referencing to related articles, and also has its own reference list to lead the reader to the essential articles within the published literature. The entries are arranged alphabetically, for easy access, and the subject and citation indices are comprehensive and extensive. Geochemistry applies chemical techniques and approaches to understanding the Earth and how it works. It touches upon almost every aspect of earth science, ranging from applied topics such as the search for energy and mineral resources, environmental pollution, and climate change to more basic questions such as the Earth’s origin and composition, the origin and evolution of life, rock weathering and metamorphism, and the pattern of ocean and mantle circulation. Geochemistry allows us to assign absolute ages to events in Earth’s history, to trace the flow of ocean water both now and in the past, trace sediments into subduction zones and arc volcanoes, and trace petroleum to its source rock and ultimately the environment in which it formed. The earliest of evidence of life is chemical and isotopic traces, not fossils, preserved in rocks. Geochemistry has allowed us to unravel the history of the ice ages and thereby deduce their cause. Geochemistry allows us to determine the swings in Earth’s surface temperatures during the ice ages, determine the temperatures and pressures at which rocks have been metamorphosed, and the rates at which ancient magma chambers cooled and crystallized. The field has grown rapidly more sophisticated, in both analytical techniques that can determine elemental concentrations or isotope ratios with exquisite precision and in computational modeling on scales ranging from atomic to planetary.

The book uniquely covers all aspects of anaerobic biodegradation of the environmentally important hydrocarbons. The contributions by international experts cover the molecular characterization of unique biocatalysts for oxygen-independent C-H-bond functionalization, the identification of unifying concepts, and the presentation of state-of-the-art methodologies. The current knowledge of the global importance of anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation is highlighted.

This book highlights new and emerging uses of stable isotope analysis in a variety of ecological disciplines. While the use of natural abundance isotopes in ecological research is now relatively standard, new techniques and ways of interpreting patterns are developing rapidly. The second edition of this book provides a thorough, up-to-date examination of these methods of research. As part of the Ecological Methods and Concepts series which provides the latest information on experimental techniques in ecology, this book looks at a wide range of techniques that use natural abundance isotopes to: follow whole ecosystem element cycling understand processes of soil organic matter formation follow the movement of water in whole watersheds understand the effects of pollution in both terrestrial and aquatic environments study extreme systems such as hydrothermal vents follow migrating organisms In each case, the book explains the background to the methodology, looks at the underlying principles and assumptions, and outlines the potential limitations and pitfalls. Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science is an ideal resource for both ecologists who are new to isotopic analysis, and more experienced isotope ecologists interested in innovative techniques and pioneering new uses.

One of the most promising tools for both characterizing contaminant sources and monitoring in situ degradation of organic contaminants in aquifers is compound-specific stable isotope analysis, in which the stable isotope ratios of one or more elements in a given compound are measured in order to investigate the transformation processes at work.The objective of this book was to validate the application of carbon-compound specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) and enantiomer specific stable isotope analysis (ESIA) to characterize biotic and abiotic transformation of Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in situ. Additionally, to prove that CSIA in combination with enantiomer-selective degradation of -HCH can be applied as an effective and reliable tool for monitoring natural attenuation of HCH. The variability in enrichment factors observed for enantiomers during biotic investigation showed the preferential reactivity of enzymes for one enantiomer over the other which is not observed in abiotic studies. Thus CSIA combined with ESIA and enantiomer fractions (EF) can help to distinguish biotic and abiotic reactions taking place in situ."

Tracking Animal Migration with Stable Isotopes, Second Edition, provides a complete introduction to new and powerful isotopic tools and applications that track animal migration, reviewing where isotope tracers fit in the modern toolbox of tracking methods. The book provides background information on a broad range of migration scenarios in terrestrial and aquatic systems and summarizes the most cutting-edge developments in the field that are revolutionizing the way migrant individuals and populations are assigned to their true origins. It allows undergraduates, graduate students and non-specialist scientists to adopt and apply isotopes to migration research, and also serves as a useful reference for scientists. The new edition thoroughly updates the information available to the reader on current applications of this technique and provides new tools for the isotopic assignment of individuals to origins, including geostatistical multi-isotope approaches and the ways in which researchers can combine isotopes with routine data in a Bayesian framework to provide best estimates of animal origins. Four new chapters include contributions on applications to the movements of terrestrial mammals, with particular emphasis on how aspects of animal physiology can influence stable isotope values. Includes an animal physiology component that is an in-depth overview of the cautions and caveats related to this technique Covers marine and aquatic isoscapes and methods to track marine organisms for researchers trying to apply isotopic tracking to animals in these environments Features state-of-the-art statistical treatments for assignment and combining diverse datasets