Method for detecting and quantifying carbon isotopes
AssigneeThe Research Foundation of State University of New York
InventorsMichael Anbar, Robert C. Abbott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for detecting and quantifying a carbon isotope at quantities of less than 1.times.10.sup.-12 gram at a statistical precision of better than 5% in a time period of less than 5 minutes by producing a carbon compound, selected from CO,CS.sub.2,CO.sub.2 and elemental carbon, from the carbon containing composition to be analyzed; and producing and detecting sufficient C.sup.- ions from the carbon compound at a known efficiency to provide at least 80 counts of carbon isotope ions per minute by mass spectrometry.
Claims14
A method for detecting and quantifying a carbon isotope at quantities of less than 1.times.10.sup.-12 gram at a statistical precision of better than 5% within a time period of less than about five minutes, said method comprising producing a carbon compound selected from the group consisting of elemental carbon, CO, CS.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 from the carbon containing composition to be analyzed and producing and detecting sufficient C.sup.- ions from the carbon compound at a known efficiency to provide at least 80 counts per minute by mass spectrometry of ions of the carbon isotope to be detected and quantified.
A method for measuring the ratio of one carbon isotope to another in a carbon containing composition with a statistical precision of better than 5%, said method comprising producing a carbon compound from the carbon in the carbon containing composition, said carbon compound being selected from the group consisting of elemental carbon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and carbon disulfide and producing and detecting sufficient C.sup.- ions from the carbon compound to provide a sufficient number of counts of each carbon isotope by mass spectrometry to determine the ratio of the isotopes within a 5% statistical precision.
A method for producing C.sup.- ions by electrical discharge in a partial vacuum through a carbon compound in an inert gas in the presence of cesium atoms, said compound being selected from the group consisting of elemental carbon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and carbon disulfide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.