Accurate and precise determination of boron isotopic ratios at low concentration by positive thermal ionization mass spectrometry using static multicollection of Cs2BO2+ ions.

A static double-collector system for accurate, precise, and rapid boron isotope analysis has been established by employing a newly fixed Faraday H3 and H4 cup enabling simultaneously collected Cs2BO2(+) ion beams (m/z = 308 and 309) on a Finnigan-MAT Triton thermal ionization mass spectrometer of boron (Triton B). The experimental result indicated that Cs2BO2(+) ion beams (m/z = 308 and 309) were simultaneously collected using a fixed Faraday H3 and H4 cup without using the "Zoom Quad" function and reduced accelerating voltage. Furthermore, the method enabled the measurement of samples containing as little as 20 ng of boron.

Precise determination of the absolute isotopic abundance ratio and the atomic weight of chlorine in three international reference materials by the positive thermal ionization mass spectrometer-Cs2Cl+-graphite method.

Because the variation in chlorine isotopic abundances of naturally occurring chlorine bearing substances is significant, the IUPAC Inorganic Chemistry Division, Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW-IUPAC) decided that the uncertainty of atomic weight of chlorine (A(r)(Cl)) should be increased so that the implied range was related to terrestrial variability in 1999 (Coplen, T. B. Atomic weights of the elements 1999 (IUPAC Technical Report), Pure Appl.