Neodymium (Nd) isotopes have widespread applications in the earth sciences, both in geochronology and in provenance/tracer studies. The isotopic analyses are conventionally done by chemical separation of pure Nd from the sample matrix. This process is time consuming and loses potentially vast amounts of information held at small spatial scales. Here, we describe a laser ablation protocol for the measurement of Nd isotopes in geological materials with relatively high Nd concentrations (≥100 ppm; e.g., apatite, titanite, and ferromanganese nodules). The procedure allows, for the first time, the exploitation of information held in Nd isotopes at scales of less than 0.1 mm. The principal analytical issues to be overcome are the interferences from isobaric Sm isotopes, the correction for which must be very accurate in order to maintain a high accuracy for the Nd isotopic ratios. We show that careful attention to mass discrimination effects along with an iterative correction procedure allows a correction that results in an accuracy on the 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratio of the order of 0.5 epsilon units (0.005%) for Sm/Nd ratios as high as 1.2. The total analysis time is short (∼2–5 min), enabling a large number of analyses (>30) in each analytical session. Spatial resolution is governed by the Nd concentration and the required accuracy and for apatites and titanites it is typically ∼90 μm. Analytical precision is degraded by around a factor of 2–3 relative to the best TIMS and solution MC-ICP-MS data. Crucially, however, the rapid sample throughput and the extremely high spatial resolution by far outweigh this reduction in precision. A high resolution study of an Atlantic ferromanganese crust illustrates the usefulness of the described approach.

Gavin L. Foster

Derek Vance

Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

光谱技术基础理论与应用的创新研究。

This journal is dedicated to innovative research in the fundamental theories and applications of spectroscopic techniques, covering the latest advancements and practical examples in the field.

本期刊致力于光谱技术基础理论与应用的创新研究，涵盖了相关领域的最新进展和应用实例。

Category	Quartile
化学	2
化学, 光谱学	1
化学, 分析化学	2

In situ Nd isotopic analysis of geological materials by laser ablation MC-ICP-MS

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