Precise and accurate Ga isotope ratio measurements of geological samples by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

Gallium isotope is a potential geochemical tool for understanding planetary processes, environmental pollution, and ore deposit formation. The reported Ga isotope compositions (δ⁷¹Ga_NIST994 values) of some international geological standards, such as BCR-2 and BHVO-2 basalts, exhibit inconsistencies between different laboratories. During mass spectrometry analysis, we found that δ⁷¹Ga_NIST994 values of geological standards with or without the correction of the interference of ¹³⁸Ba²⁺ (mass/charge ratio = 69) on ⁶⁹Ga show significant isotope offsets, and thus efficient separation of Ba and correcting the interference of ¹³⁸Ba²⁺ are both crucial to obtain accurate δ⁷¹Ga values. By comparing δ⁷¹Ga_NIST994 values (relative to NIST SRM 994 Ga) of the same geostandards from different laboratories, we suggest that the isotopic heterogeneity from NIST SRM 994 Ga is one of the key reasons for the inconsistencies in δ⁷¹Ga_NIST994 values of BCR-2 and BHVO-2. To facilitate inter-laboratory comparisons, we measured the Ga isotopic compositions of 11 geological reference materials (including Pb-Zn ore, bauxite, igneous rocks, and loess) and two Ga solution standards (NIST SRM 3119a and Alfa Aesar). The δ⁷¹Ga_NIST994 and δ⁷¹Ga_IPGP values of these reference materials vary from 1.12 ‰ to 2.63 ‰ and − 0.13 ‰ to 1.38 ‰, respectively, and can be used to evaluate the precision and accuracy of Ga isotope data from different laboratories.