Article Title：Preparation of bone carbonate for stable isotope analysis: the effects of treatment time and acid concentration
Abstract：
While apatite carbonate 613 C analysis is a useful tool in palaeodietary research, the vulnerability of carbonates to diagenesis necessitates careful sample preparation. The most common preparation method involves dilute acetic acid treatments to remove highly soluble mineral contaminants. However, there is variation in both treatment time and acid concentration. This study addresses the impact of such variation on carbonate delta(13)C and delta(18)O, sample loss in solution, and sample Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characteristics. Samples of fresh and archaeological bone were treated with 1.0 M and 0.1 M acetic acid. Carbonate delta(13)C and delta(18)O, sample loss and FTIR characteristics were measured at treatment times of 4 to 24 h. The results suggest that 4 h of treatment suffice to remove highly soluble contaminants, and that longer treatment times can lead to sample recrystallization. Some samples treated with 1.0 M acid showed unacceptable loss or possible recrystallization, suggesting that 0.1 M acid treatment is preferable. However, the more dilute acid caused smaller shifts in delta(13)C and delta(18)O for all samples and treatment times. Thus, while 0.1 M acid appears to produce superior sample quality, it may not produce results directly comparable to those of 1.0 M acid treatments. This has important implications for the comparison of apatite carbonate stable isotope values reported in the literature. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: archaeological bone; bone carbonate; bioapatite; stable carbon isotopes; stable oxygen isotopes; sample preparation
DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2003.10.014
Source：JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
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