Abstract
THE deuterium content of natural waters has hitherto been determined either by accurate density measurements or by a mass spectrometer, absolute values being obtained by intercomparison with standard samples of known absolute deuterium concentration prepared from deuterium-free water. However, density measurements are complicated by variations in the concentrations of the more abundant oxygen-17 and oxygen-18 isotopes, and the preparation of deuterium-free water is a long procedure. These complications can be eliminated by the following simple method, using only a mass spectrometer.
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References
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Friedman, I., Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 4, Nos. 1/2, 89 (1953).
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CLARKE, G., DENTON, W. & REYNOLDS, P. Determination of the Absolute Concentration of Deuterium in Thames River Water. Nature 174, 469 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1038/174469a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/174469a0
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