Magnesium perchlorate as an alternative water trap in AMS graphite sample preparation: A report on sample preparation at KCCAMS at the University of California, Irvine

We present a brief discussion of sample preparation procedures at the Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (KCCAMS), University of California, Irvine, and a systematic investigation of the use of Mg(ClO4)(2) as an absorptive water trap, replacing the standard dry ice/ethanol cold finger in graphite sample preparation. We compare high-precision AMS measurement results from oxalic acid I and USGS coal samples using Mg(ClO4)(2) under different conditions. The results obtained were also compared with those achieved using the conventional water removal technique. Final results demonstrate that the Use Of Mg(ClO4)(2) as an alternative water trap seems very convenient and reliable, provided the Mg(ClO4)(2) is replaced frequently.