Nitrogen isotopic analyses

Cox, G., Sealy, J., Schrire, C. and Morris, A. (2001). Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses of the underclass at the colonial Cape of Good Hope in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. World Archaeology 33 73-97. 

D.A. Merritt, J.M. Hayes (1994) Nitrogen isotope analyses by isotope-ratio-monitoring gas chro-matography/mass spectrometry. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 387-397... 

Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses today are a routine part of the study of human skeletal remains. They are usually calculated along with radiocarbon measurements at dating laboratories. There are other isotopes that may also be of interest in the study of diet such as hydrogen and sulfur, but these are less well understood. 

Figure 10. Schematic view of Ibe elemcnl analyser — mass spcciromctcr system used for nitrogen isotopic-analyses at the University of Bergen (partially redrawn from Johannessen. 1992).

A smaller number of individuals, 132 samples, was analyzed for stable isotopes of nitrogen. There were two objectives to the nitrogen isotope analysis 1) to determine the amount of animal protein in the diet and to look for variation between the sexes and 2) to determine when infants were weaned from the breast. These objectives were addressed by selecting at least ten individuals, when available, from a number of age classes. Figure 1.1 illustrates the age distribution of the sample. Table 1.3 shows the results of these analyses. Individual 5 N values are provided in Herring et al. (1998). 

Ambrose, S.H. 1986 Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human and animal diet in Mrica. Journal of Human Evolution 15 707-731. 

Atwell L, Hobson KA, Welch HE. 1998. Biomagnilication and bioaccumulation of mercury in an arctic marine food web insights from stable nitrogen isotope analysis. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 55 1114-1121. 

Macko, S. A., Uhle, M. E., Engel, M. H. and Andrusevich, V. (1997) Stable nitrogen isotope analysis of amino acid enantiomers by gas chromatography combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 69, 926 929. 

Merritt, D. A. and Hayes, J. M. (1994) Nitrogen isotopic analysis by isotope ratio monitoring gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Journal ofthe American Society ofMass Spectrometry 5,387 397. 

Styring, A. K., Sealy, J. C. and Evershed, R. P. (in press) Resolving the bulk 81SN values of ancient human and animal bone collagen via compound specific nitrogen isotope analysis of constituent amino acids. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 

Grady MM, PiUinger CT (1990) ALH 85085 nitrogen isotope analysis of a highly unusual primitive chondrite. Earth Planet Sci Lett 97 29 0... 

Tittlemier SA, Fisk AT, Hobson KA, Norstrom RJ (2002) Examination of the Bioaccumulation of Halogenated Dimethyl Bipyrroles in an Arctic Marine Food Web Using Stable Nitrogen Isotope Analysis. Environ Pollut 116 85... 

Grady, M. M. Pillinger, C. T. 1990 ALH 85085 nitrogen isotopic analysis of a highly unusual primitive chondrite. EPSL 97, 29—40. 

Sigman, D. M., Casciotti, K. L., Andreani, M., Barford, C., Galanter, M., and Bohlke, J. K. (2001). A bacterial method for the nitrogen isotopic analysis of nitrate in seawater and freshwater. Analytical Chemistry 73, 4145-4153. 

Lipschultz, F. (1993). Diode array spectrometer for nitrogen isotopic analysis. Appl. Spectrosc. 47, 2093-2095. 

Fig. 1.9 Tamsin O Connell and students preparing samples of bone and hair for carbon and nitrogen isotopes analysis in the Dorothy Garrod Laboratory for Isotopic Analysis at Cambridge University...

Sampling protocols for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis are fairly simple, as is the extraction procedure. This method requires the extraction of the protein collagen from bone, and then the further purification of this collagen for isotope analysis. SIA often requires only a few hundred milligrams of bone, less if the bone is well preserved. 

MATSUDA H, TAKENOUCHI T, TANAKA s and WATANABE s (2009) Relative contribution of Artemia and mussel as food for cultured middle-stage Panulirus japonicus phyllosomata as determined by stable nitrogen isotope analysis , NZ J Mar Freshwater Res, 43,217-224. 

For oxidation and carbon or nitrogen isotopic analysis the components are then swept sequentially through a furnace converting them to N2, CO2 and H2O. Water is removed and CO2 is removed cryogen-ically if measurements are to be made. For d C analysis alone, nitrogen, if present, also enters the ion source. It does not interfere with the measurement. 

Reed, D.M. 1994 Ancient Maya diet at Copan, Honduras, as determined through the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. In Sobolik, K.D., ed., Paleonutrition The Diet and Health of Prehistoric Americans. Occasional Paper 22, Center for Archaeological Investigations, Carbondale, University of Southern Illinois 210-221. 

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