The purpose of Reston Stable Isotope Laboratory Lab (RSIL) Code 1800 is to determine the δ(34S/32S), abbreviated as δ34S, of total sulfur in a solid sample. A Carlo Erba NC 2500 elemental analyzer (EA) is used to convert total sulfur in a solid sample into SO2 gas. The EA is connected to a continuous flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (CF-IRMS), which determines the relative difference in stable sulfur isotope-amount ratio (34S/32S) of the product SO2 gas. The combustion is quantitative; no isotopic fractionation is involved. Samples are placed in tin capsules and loaded into a Costech Zero-Blank Autosampler on the EA. Under computer control, samples are dropped into a heated tube reaction tube that combines both the oxidation and [...]
