Carbon Isotopes
Carbon Isotopes - Related Videos
08:12
Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids (BPCA)
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Cited by 40 •
2016
We present the benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) method for assessing pyrogenic carbon (PyC) in the environment. The compound-specific approach uniquely provides simultaneous information about the characteristics, quantity and isotopic composition (13C and 14C) of PyC.
07:57
Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
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Cited by 30 •
2018
Stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of human and animal tooth enamel carbonate has been used as a proxy for individual diet and environmental reconstruction. Here, we provide a detailed description and visual documentation of bulk and sequential tooth enamel sampling as well as pretreatment of archaeological and paleontological samples.
02:31
Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes
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2020
A chemical symbol is an abbreviation used to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg. The same symbol is used to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain). Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common name)...
14:57
DNA Stable-Isotope Probing (DNA-SIP)
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Cited by 70 •
2010
DNA stable-isotope probing is a cultivation-independent method to identify and characterize active communities of microorganisms that are capable of utilizing specific substrates. Assimilation of substrate enriched in heavy isotope leads to incorporation of labelled atoms into microbial biomass. Density gradient ultracentrifugation retrieves labelled DNA for downstream molecular analyses.
07:04
High Precision Zinc Isotopic Measurements Applied to Mouse Organs
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Cited by 28 •
2015
We present the technique to measure with high precision zinc isotope ratios in mouse organs.
FAQs
Isotope fractionation occurs because chemical reactions can proceed at different rates for carbon isotopes. During photosynthesis, respiration, or metabolism, these rate differences alter the relative abundance of carbon-12 and carbon-13 in the products and remaining materials. Measuring the resulting ratios helps researchers connect isotopic patterns with biological processing and carbon movement.
Carbon-12 and carbon-13 are stable isotopes, so their ratios can track carbon without relying on radioactive decay. Biological reactions may separate them through fractionation, leaving measurable differences as carbon moves through organisms and ecosystems. This makes stable isotope patterns useful for examining carbon transformations, metabolic activity, and relationships within food webs.
Carbon-isotope measurements provide a way to follow carbon as it passes through organisms, food webs, and ecosystems. Researchers interpret ratio differences in relation to processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and metabolism. In biology, these patterns can help connect carbon sources with movement through tissues, organisms, and broader ecological systems.
Researchers determine carbon-isotope ratios with mass spectrometry or related analytical methods. The resulting measurements distinguish the relative amounts of relevant carbon isotopes and reveal patterns produced by biological reactions. These data can then be applied to questions about carbon flow, nutrition, physiology, metabolism, and ecological change rather than serving only as chemical measurements.
Carbon isotopes are useful when researchers need to examine how carbon enters, moves through, or is processed by organisms. Isotope ratios can support investigations of nutrition and physiology by tracing carbon associated with biological activity and metabolism. This approach links measurable chemical patterns to organismal function without limiting analysis to a single tissue or process.
Carbon-14 adds a time-related application to carbon-isotope research because it is radioactive, unlike carbon-12 and carbon-13. Measurements of carbon-14 in biological materials can support radiocarbon dating, allowing researchers to investigate when those materials originated. This use complements stable-isotope tracing, which focuses more directly on carbon flow and biological transformations.