Geochemical developments

Stuyfzand PJ, Griffioen J, and Broers HP (1997) Geochemical developments on soil samples in aquifer. HzO 30(1) 8-13. 

The determination of cesium in minerals can be accompHshed by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry or for low ranges associated with geochemical exploration, by atomic absorption, using comparative standards. For low levels of cesium in medical research, the proton induced x-ray emission technique has been developed (40). 

The global geochemical background and enormous industrial environmental pollution have increased, thus, there are all the bases to speak about the beginning of biogeochemical formation development which has a direct influence on the ecological system condition in general as well as on the population health. 

Uranium and thorium are the first members of natural radioactive chain which makes their determination in natural materials interesting from geochemical and radioecological aspect. They are quantitatively determined as elements by spectrophotometric method and/or their radioisotopes by alpha spectrometry. It is necessary to develop inexpensive, rapid and sensitive methods for the routine researches because of continuous monitoring of the radioactivity level. 

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is successfully used to determine chemical composition of various geological and ecological materials. It is known that XRF analysis has a high productivity, acceptable accuracy of results, developed theory and industrial analytical equipment sets. Therefore the complex methods of XRF analysis have to be constituent part of basis data used in ecological and geochemical investigations... 

One of the most complex separation schemes utilizes flash liquid chromatography and PLC to obtain petropophyrins both from geochemical samples or those synthesized and used subsequently as standards [110]. Ocampo and Repeta [111] described the scheme of petroporphyrins isolation in which at the first step the sediment extract is fractionated into ten fractions on silica gel using dichlo-romethane (fractions 1 to 4), a mixture of dichloromethane-acetone with increasing acetone concentrations (for fractions 5 to 9), and, at last, dichlo-romethane methanol (4 1) (fraction 10). Next, the fifth fraction was separated on silica PLC plates using dichloromethane-acetone (97.5 2.5 v v v) as a developer. Two purple bands (with Rj 0.53 and 0.50) were recovered from silica and purified further on a silica gel column with dichloromethane-acetone (97.5 2.5, v v v) as an eluent. The emiched fraction was then separated by PLC with the same solvent mixture, and the purple bands containing two bacteriopheophytin allomers were recovered with acetone. 

The above summarized mineralogical and geochemical studies on Kuroko and Mariana chimneys (Shikazono and Kusakabe, 1999), and previous studies on midoceanic ridge chimneys, combined with the studies of mineral particle behaviors in the plumbing system, are used to develop the following plausible model for the growth history of sulfate-sulfide chimneys on the seafloor (Shikazono and Kusakabe, 1999). 

Hedenquist, J.W. (1991) Preface to the Special Issue The Geochemistry of Newly Developed Geothermal Systems in Japan. Geochemical J., 25, 199-202. 

The geological sciences are involved in studying the naturally occurring materials of the earth and solar system (i) to understand the fimdamental processes of crustal formation on earth and solar system evolution, and (2) to evaluate the crustal materials of potential economic value to man. Prior to the 1930 s, analyses were carried out exclusively using classical analytical techniques, with detection limits on the order of o.oi-o.i % (mass fraction). The number of elements contained in any sample could be as extensive as the periodic table, but very few of these could be determined. The development of instrumental techniques revolutionized the analysis of geochemical samples, beginning in the 1930 s. 

Identification of sources of analytical bias in method development and method validation is another very important application of reference materials in geochemical laboratories. USGS applied simplex optimization in establishing the best measurement conditions when the ICP-AES method was introduced as a substitute for AAS in the rapid rock procedure for major oxide determinations (Leary et al. 1982). The optimized measurement parameters were then validated by analyzing a number of USGS rock reference samples for which reference values had been established first by classical analyses. Similar optimization of an ICP-AES procedure for a number of trace elements was validated by the analysis of U S G S manganese nodule P-i (Montaser et al. 1984). 

While over the past ten years, our ability to measure U-series disequilibria and interpret this data has improved significantly it is important to note that many questions still remain. In particular, because of uncertainties in the partition coefficients, fully quantitative constraints can only be obtained when more experimental data, as a function of P and T as well as source composition, become available. Furthermore, the robustness of the various melting models that are used to interpret the data needs to be established and 2D and 3D models need to be developed. However, full testing of these models will only be possible when more comprehensive data sets including all the geochemical parameters are available for more locations and settings. 

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