A method to extract soil water for stable isotope analysis

Kinga M. Revesz; Peter H. Woods

doi:10.1016/0022-1694(90)90217-l

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A method to extract soil water for stable isotope analysis

Kinga M. Revesz·Peter H. Woods

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Abstract

A method has been developed to extract soil water for determination of deuterium (D) and 18 O content. The principle of this method is based on the observation that water and toluene form an azeotropic mixture at 84.1°C, but are completely immiscible at ambient temperature. In a specially designed distillation apparatus, the soil water is distilled at 84.1°C with toluene and is separated quantitatively in the collecting funnel at ambient temperature. Traces of toluene are removed and the sample can be analyzed by mass spectrometry. Kerosene may be substituted for toluene. The accuracy of this technique is ± 2 and ± 0.2‰ "> ± 0.2‰ , respectively, for δD and δ 18 O. Reduced accuracy is obtained at low water contents.

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Kinga M. Revesz, Peter H. Woods. 1990. A method to extract soil water for stable isotope analysis. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(90)90217-l

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