Re‐Os Isotopic Measurements at the Femtomole Level in Natural Samples

TLDR

The study introduces a new chemical separation method for osmium and an improved mass spectrometric procedure for rhenium and osmium. The method uses selective extraction of OsO₄ in liquid bromine, avoids distillation, relies on commercial PFA Teflon labware, and can be adapted to other dissolution protocols. Blank levels are 0.06 pg for 0.5 g samples of Os and 0.5 pg for Re, enabling reliable analysis of samples containing as little as 1 pg g⁻¹ Os.

Abstract

Here we describe a new chemical separation method for Os and an improved mass spectrometric procedure for Re and Os. This technique is based on the selective extraction of OsO 4 from aqueous solution in liquid bromine. Among other advantages, this procedure avoids the cumbersome distillation procedure for Os and uses only commercial “off the shelf” PFA teflon labware. Blank levels for 0.5 g sample sizes are: 0.06 pg and 0.5 pg for Os and Re respectively. Samples containing as little as 1 pg g −1 Os can be analysed reliably with this method. Adaptation to other dissolution methods is also discussed.