Rapid isolation of biomarkers for compound specific radiocarbon dating using high-performance liquid chromatography and flow injection analysis-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry.
Repeated semi-preparative normal-phase HPLC was performed to isolate selected biomarkers from sediment extracts for radiocarbon analysis. Flow injection analysis-mass spectrometry was used for rapid analysis of collected fractions to evaluate the separation procedure, taking only 1 min per fraction. In this way 100-1000 microg of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers, sterol fractions and chlorophyll-derived phytol were isolated from typically 100 g of marine sediment, i.e., in sufficient quantities for radiocarbon analysis, without significant carbon isotopic fractionation or contamination.
Smittenberg
Rienk H
RH
Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, The Netherlands. smitten@nioz.nl
Hopmans
Ellen C
EC
Schouten
Stefan
S
Sinninghe Damsté
Jaap S
JS
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D017022:Flow Injection Analysis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
D015415:Biomarkers; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes