title: High precision zinc isotopic measurements applied to mouse organs.
abstract: We present a procedure to measure with high precision zinc isotope ratios in mouse organs. Zinc is composed of 5 stable isotopes ((64)Zn, (66)Zn, (67)Zn, (68)Zn and (70)Zn) which are naturally fractionated between mouse organs. We first show how to dissolve the different organs in order to free the Zn atoms; this step is realized by a mixture of HNO3 and H2O2. We then purify the zinc atoms from all the other elements, in particular from isobaric interferences (e.g., Ni), by anion-exchange chromatography in a dilute HBr/HNO3 medium. These first two steps are performed in a clean laboratory using high purity chemicals. Finally, the isotope ratios are measured by using a multi-collector inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometer, in low resolution. The samples are injected using a spray chamber and the isotopic fractionation induced by the mass-spectrometer is corrected by comparing the ratio of the samples to the ratio of a standard (standard bracketing technique). This full typical procedure produces an isotope ratio with a 50 ppm (2 s.d.) reproducibility.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Institut Universitaire de France, Université Paris Diderot; moynier@levee.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moynier
authors.affiliation: INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale), U1148: Laboratory for Vascular Translational Science, Université Paris Diderot.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Borgne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015033:Zinc Isotopes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015033:Zinc Isotopes; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide