Development of new analytical methods

A typical attitude of a good analyst to improvement/development of new method or procedure can be expressed by a joke:

Obviously, good data depend on accurate repetition of verified analytical protocol. However, sometimes, logic of geological studies demands development of new procedures and/or methods. Staff at the Center of Geodynamics and Geochronology is always keen on such demands.

For example, as a request of ore geologists we have developed an Ar-Ar dating procedure by stepwise-heating in a resistance high temperature oven for gold-bearing pyrite-encapsulated sericite (Ivanov et al., 2015). By doing this we can constrain timing of gold-deposit formation.

As a request of paleoclimatologists we have developed a procedure for determination of bromine in sediments by wavelength dispersive and total reflection X-ray fluorescence methods (Pashkova et al., 2015). It appeared that bromine is a good paleoclimatic proxy.

  1. Ivanov, A.V., Vanin, V.A., Demonterova, E.I., Gladkochub, D.P., and Donskaya, T.V., 2015, Application of the ‘no fool’s clock’ to dating the Mukodek ore field, Siberia, Russia. Ore Geology Reviews, 2015, v. 69, p. 352-359. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169136815000736
  2. Pashkova, G.V., Ivanov, E.V., Aisueva, T.S., Shchetnikov, A.A., Markova, Yu.N., Finkelshtein, A.L., 2015, X-ray fluorescence determination of bromine in lake sediments for paleoclimatic studies. Analytica and Control, v. 19, p. 340-346, in Russian http://aik-journal.urfu.ru/periodical/2015/AiK-2015-19-340.pdf