Dear Colleagues,

A student is about to begin Ph.D work involving 
analysis of , among other things, biogenic 
phosphates.  We have prior experience in the 
analysis of O in phosphates for other 
researchers, but samples were always sent to us 
ready for analysis.

Searching the archives yielded lots of postings 
on the subject, but none directed us to a step by 
step method for converting biogenic phosphate 
into say Ag3PO4. Methodological papers (for 
example, that in Pier de Groot's book, to mention 
just a recent one) are not detailed enough for 
newcomers (this is not a criticism; it is just 
impossible to go beyond a certain level of detail 
in a published work ...).

Will you care to recommend any article, web site, 
book, ... where we could find a "recipe" for 
sample treatment and phosphate isolation for 
O-isotopic analysis? If you have your own method, 
will you mind sharing it with us? As an example, 
the description of Nitrate isolation from waters 
in the web page by C. Kendal's group of the USGS 
(after articles of Silva et al., Chang et al., 
...) was most helpful. Is there anything similar 
for phosphates?

Thanks,

Clemente


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Dr. Clemente Recio
Laboratorio de Isótopos Estables
Fac. de Ciencias
Univ. de Salamanca
Plaza de la Merced, S/N
E-37008 SALAMANCA
               SPAIN

Phone: (+34) 923 29 45 00, Ext. 1540 (Automatic Switchboard)
Fax:     (+34) 923 29 45 14
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web page: http://www.usal.es/isotopos
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