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    Rapid analysis of 13C in plant-wax n-alkanes for reconstruction of terrestrial vegetation signals from aquatic sediments

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    McDuffee 2004GC000772.pdf (705.6Kb)
    Date
    2004-10-15
    Author
    McDuffee, Kelsey E.  Concept link
    Eglinton, Timothy I.  Concept link
    Sessions, Alex L.  Concept link
    Sylva, Sean P.  Concept link
    Wagner, Thomas  Concept link
    Hayes, John M.  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/457
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GC000772
    DOI
    10.1029/2004GC000772
    Keyword
     Moving wire; Plant-wax n-alkanes; Stable carbon isotopes 
    Abstract
    Long-chain, odd-carbon-numbered C25 to C35 n-alkanes are characteristic components of epicuticular waxes produced by terrestrial higher plants. They are delivered to aquatic systems via eolian and fluvial transport and are preserved in underlying sediments. The isotopic compositions of these products can serve as records of past vegetation. We have developed a rapid method for stable carbon isotopic analyses of total plant-wax n-alkanes using a novel, moving-wire system coupled to an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (MW-irMS). The n-alkane fractions are prepared from sediment samples by (1) saponification and extraction with organic solvents, (2) chromatographic separation using silica gel, (3) isolation of straight-chain carbon skeletons using a zeolite molecular sieve, and (4) oxidation and removal of unsaturated hydrocarbons with RuO4. Short-chain n-alkanes of nonvascular plant origin (<C25) are removed by evaporation on the moving wire. Test samples processed using this procedure yielded n-alkane fractions essentially free of interfering components. The δ13C values obtained by MW-irMS did not differ significantly from weighted averages of individual n-alkane δ13C values obtained by irmGC-MS. Isotopic variations in compound-class n-alkane fractions from a latitudinal transect of core-top sediments from the Southwest African margin (3°N–28°S) were congruent with those measured by compound-specific isotopic analyses of plant-wax n-alkanes. The amplitude of the variations was smaller, indicating contributions from non-plant-wax hydrocarbons, but the measurements revealed variations in carbon isotopic composition that are consistent with vegetation zones on the adjacent continent.
    Description
    Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2004. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 5 (2004): Q10004, doi:10.1029/2004GC000772.
    Collections
    • Geology and Geophysics (G&G)
    • Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry (MC&G)
    Suggested Citation
    Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 5 (2004): Q10004
     

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