From application of isotope enriched mercury in environmental studies to fractionation of mercury isotopes

Full text: This overview on using isotope enriched Hg in environmental studies summarizes results from a whole ecosystem experiment to illustrate aspects of sample preparation and instrumental requirements. Building on our experience in working with isotope-enriched material, our group recently progressed to using multicollector ICPMS for ultra precise isotope ratio determinations, revealing variations in natural Hg isotope ratios. Fractionation is triggered by mass dependent (e.g. reduction and volatilization) and mass independent processes (e.g. photochemical reactions). The presentation will give examples of both mechanisms and discuss Hg isotope fingerprinting as a tool for tracking sources of Hg in the environment. (author)