A Micro-manipulation Technique for the Purification of Diatoms for Isotope and Geochemical Analysis

作者：Snelling Andrea Marie^*; Swann George E A; Leng Melanie J; Pike Jennifer

来源：Silicon, 2013, 5(1): 13-17.

DOI：10.1007/s12633-012-9115-1

• Diatom
• Purification
• Single-species
• Isotope
• Micro-manipulator

A method is described for the purification and extraction of diatom samples for isotope and geochemical analysis. The technique involves a micro-manipulator attached to an inverted microscope with a cellular micro-injector system used to remove contaminants or separate assemblages into single-species samples. Whilst time consuming, the advances associated with this technique, eliminating issues related to contamination and the impact of species-dependent fractionation factor/isotopic effect, allows ultra-clean as well as species and/or size specific diatom samples to be analysed in palaeoenvironmental research down to seasonal timescale resolution. By further altering the inner dimensions of the commercially available capillary tubes, (3.5-150 m) this technique can be extended for use with other microfossils including radiolaria (30 m to 1 mm), pollen (6-100 m) and phytolith samples (1-200 m).

• 出版日期2013-1