Accurate and High-Precision Measurement of Lithium Isotopes in Two Reference Materials by MC-ICP-MS
Résumé
We report here a newly developed method for measurement of Li isotopes by use of multi-collector ICP-MS (Neptune) allowing rapid and high precision determination of Li isotope ratios at low levels of lithium (15–20 ng). The lithium reference sample solution IRMM-016 was analysed over a period of ten months with an external reproducibility of 0.24% (2s, n = 52). Chemical separation of Li from matrix was performed on the seawater sample IRMM BCR-403, for which a mean δ7Li value of + 31.0 ± 0.1 % (2s/√n, n = 31) was obtained. This mean value is in good agreement with those previously published for other seawater samples. BCR-403 seawater being readily available, we propose that this seawater sample be used as a reference sample for Li isotope measurements.