Dear all,
Let me take this occasion to announce officially to the whole user community the availability of VSMOW2 and SLAP2, the new international measurement standards, replacing the exhausted VSMOW and SLAP.
Both materials were prepared by mixing natural water samples in order to adjust their isotopic composions both in delta2H and in delta18O to be as close as possible to those of VSMOW and SLAP and therefore to minimise any possible issue with change of scales and calibration problems.
More than 270 liters were produced for both materials and so far 5000 glass ampoules bottled. A careful comparison was performed on isotopic homogeneity between the bottles. Then the isotopic composition of the materials was calibrated in three laboratories (USGS stable isotope laboratory, Reston, USA - Ty Coplen, Center of Isotope Research CIO, University of Groningen, Netherlands - Harro Meijer, IAEA Isotope Hydrology Laboratory) directly in reference to their predecessor materials. A summary of the results of the calibration exercise can be found on our homepage http://www-naweb.iaea.org/NAALIHL/ .
In short, the isotopic composition of VSMOW2 is indistinguishable from that of VSMOW both in delta2H (VSMOW2: 0.0 +- 0.3 per mill) and in delta18O (VSMOW2: 0.00 +- 0.02 per mill).
The delta18O value of SLAP2 is indistinguishable from that of SLAP (SLAP2: -55.50 +- 0.02 per mill). The delta2H value of SLAP2 is -427.5 +- 0.3 per mill and therefore slightly deviating from SLAP.
The stated uncertainties are combined standard uncertainties at one sigma level.
Please be aware that by using these values above for calibration of your laboratory standards your measurements are still on the VSMOW/SLAP scale !!! Only the calibration was performed using VSMOW2 and SLAP2.
Therefore no trouble should arise by re-calibrating existing laboratory standards.
Orders may be placed for a set of VSMOW2/GISP/SLAP2 at a price of 430 Euro by email to [log in to unmask] with statement of the enduser (name of person and complete laboratory address -affiliation) and eventually deviating shipment/invoice addresses. For any shipment (DHL), a telephone contact number has to be provided. Please state your AQCS customer number, if available.
For internet orders, the IAEA reference material homepage http://www.iaea.org/programmes/aqcs/ will be updated shortly to reflect the changes and to replace VSMOW and SLAP by the new materials VSMOW2 and SLAP2. I ask for your understanding that this may take still a little bit of time.

IAEA-B1, IAEA-B2 and IAEA-B3 are water quality control materials dedicated for boron isotopic and concentration measurements. They are NOT intended for determination of their stable isotope composition. In view of the limited amounts existing and the large effort to produce them for boron determinations, all other users are strongly discouraged in their use for water stable isotope determinations. No delta2H and delta18O recommended values will evaluated or be made available by IAEA.   

Best regards
Manfred Groening
======================================
Manfred Groening
Head, Isotope Hydrology Laboratory
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O.Box 100   A-1400 Vienna   AUSTRIA
Tel: +43-1-2600-21740/21766 Fax: +43-1-2600-7
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
for ordering reference materials: [log in to unmask]
for IC exercises and lab information: [log in to unmask]
http://www-naweb.iaea.org/NAALIHL/ 
======================================
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Stable Isotope Geochemistry [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Clemente Recio
Sent: Thursday, 05 July 2007 18:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Reference waters: values and availability?

Dear All,

We need to replace our water references, but it would seem that SMOW / GISP / SLAP are unavailable both from IAEA and from NIST. Last time I contacted IAEA I was told that the current supply had been exhausted, and although a replacement had been procured, it was still unavailable for distribution.

NIST's wep page lists these materials as "out of stock".

Will anybody in the list have any information regarding the current status of these references? 
We urgently need some!

Related to the above, the IAEA web page lists three additional reference waters, namely IAEA-B-1, -2 and -3. Well, I'm unable to reach a place at IAEA's web page where the oxygen and hydrogen isotopic values are listed. Can anybody give us the values for these samples? Are these a suitable references while SMOW / GISP / SLAP are made available?

Thanks,

Clemente


-- 


*******************************************
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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