Combination of sealed-tube decrepitation with continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry for carbon isotope analyses of CO2 from fluid inclusions in minerals

Abstract

A method is presented to perform carbon isotope analyses of CO₂ from fluid inclusions in minerals using decrepitation by the sealed tube method followed by cryogenic separation of the resultant CO₂ in a high-vacuum line, coupled via a GasBench II to a DELTA V isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The proposed method greatly reduces the sample size and the laboratory time without compromising the precision of the results.