Lithium isotope analysis of rock and seawater reference materials

Lithium has two isotopes, Li-6 and Li-7, with a large mass difference (similar to 16%) and have been shown to be useful tracers of global-scale geochemical processes. Although studies of lithium and its isotopes in the geological materials are rapidly increasing in number, there are still many questions about the lithium isotopic compositions of geological and environmental materials. In this study, we introduce the column separation method of lithium using BioRad Resin AG 50W-X8 (200-400 mesh). Lithium isotope ratios in the rock and seawater standard samples were measured on MC-ICP-MS (Multi-collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer) and then compared with reference lithium isotope ratios. Lithium isotope ratios in our study overlap with reference lithium isotope ratios within analytical error.