Isotopic fractionation of rare earth elements in geochemical samples

The isotopic composition of Rare Earth Elements(REEs) can be fractionated through various physical and chemical reactions in nature [1]. The isotopic variations of REEs occurring naturally has a potentially significant influence in geochemical research fields. The REEs has key features that their chemical similarities and gradual changes of ionic radius, which may help us to understand the mechanisms of isotopic variations of REEs in nature. Among the REEs, geochemical and physicochemical features of Ce, which could be presence as the tetravalent state, be anomalous, and oxidation state of Ce can change by reflecting the redox conditions of the environment. Therefore, the study of the difference in the degree of isotopic fractionation between Ce and other REEs may provide information on the redox conditions. In this study, we developed a new separation method to determine the mass-dependent isotopic fractionations of REEs in geochemical samples, and examined the optimum concentration of hydrochloric acid for the separation. The samples were decomposed by a mixture of acids, then REEs were separated as a group from major elements using cation exchange resin columns and RE Spec resin. The separations within the REEs group were carried out using Ln2Spec resin. For the recovery of La, Ce, Pr, and Nd, 0.1 M HCl was used, and for isolation of Sm, Eu, and Gd, 0.25 M HCl was used. Then, 0.6 M HCl was used for separation of Tb, and Dy, 1 M HCl was used for separation of Ho, Y, and Er, finally, Tm, Yb, and Lu were collected using 2 M HCl. The yields of all REEs were enough to examine isotopic fractionation in geochemical samples. [1] Ohno and Hirata,Analytical Sciences, 29, 271, 2013