Development and validation of a method to determine the boron isotopic composition of crop plants

Abstract

We present a comprehensive chemical and mass spectrometric method to determine boron isotopic compositions of plant tissue. The method including dry ashing, a three-step ion chromatographic boron-matrix separation, and (11)B/(10)B isotope ratio determinations using the Cs(2)BO(2)(+) graphite technique has been validated using certified reference and quality control materials. The developed method is capable to determine δ(11)B values in plant tissue down to boron concentrations of 1 mg/kg with an expanded uncertainty of ≤1.7‰ (k = 2). The determined δ(11)B values reveal an enormous isotopic range of boron in plant tissues covering three-quarters of the natural terrestrial occurring variation in the boron isotopic composition. As the local environment and anthropogenic activity mainly control the boron intake of plants, the boron isotopic composition of plants can be used for food provenance studies.