A low-cost and high precision determination method of 87Sr/86Sr ratios for red wine using thermal ionization mass spectrometry without column separation

Thermal ionization mass spectrometry is considered as the gold standard for obtaining precise Sr-87/Sr-86 isotopic ratios. However, the conventional TIMS technique is laborious because it requires the purification of Sr using expensive and complex resin column techniques to overcome severe Rb-87 isobaric interference on Sr-87 and inhibition on ionization of Sr originating from matrix elements. To overcome this issue, we have developed a hydrofluoric acid coprecipitation method specifically designed for red wine samples. This method effectively captures Sr while eliminating Rb-87 isobaric interference and removing the majority of matrix element inhibition for red wine samples. Notably, our method offers several advantages, including low cost, rapidity, simplicity, and high sample throughput. We have applied this method to analyze nine red wine samples sourced from China, Spain, Chile, Argentina, France, Italy, and Australia. Our method greatly simplified the sample preparation process for red wine samples without compromising the analytical accuracy and precision.

Automated summary

Thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) is the standard method for obtaining precise Sr-87/Sr-86 isotopic ratios. However, our developed hydrofluoric acid coprecipitation method offers a low-cost, rapid, simple, and high-throughput alternative for analyzing red wine samples, effectively eliminating isobaric interference and matrix element inhibition.