High-Precision MC-ICP-MS Measurements of d11B: Matrix Effects in direct injection and spray chamber sample introduction systems

Abstract

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. As a consequence of the growing importance of CO<inf>2</inf> induced climate change and the associated phenomenon of ocean acidification, high-precision measurements of boron isotopic compositions, especially in marine carbonates, is of growing importance. The isotopic composition and elemental abundance of boron is of special interest because it provides one of the few means to track the evolution of pH in seawater,<sup>1-3</sup>as well as being a probe into the processes of biomineralization.<sup>4-6</sup>Central to the interpretation of boron isotopic and elemental data is ensuring that the veracity of the measurements are not compromised by artefacts from, for example, memory or matrix effects. This is especially the case in the analysis of modern samples where shifts in <sup>11</sup>B/<sup>10</sup>B ratios due to changing seawater pH are still relatively subtle<sup>7</sup> and hence require accurate, precise measurements.