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Measuring delta13C of atmospheric air with non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy
Frank Jäger1, Günter Wagner, Harro A J Meijer
1Wagner Analysen Technik GmbH, Haferwende 21, 28357, Bremen, Germany. jaeger@wagner-bremen.de
Abstract:
The potential use of non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy for measuring delta(13)C in air is demonstrated. This technique has already been successfully established for breath test analyses in medical diagnostics, where the CO(2) concentration ranges from 1 to 5 vol.% in the exhaled breath of vertebrates. For breath tests, the sensitivity and accuracy has been improved to reach a standard deviation of 0.2 per thousand (delta-value). Further adjustments were necessary to improve the sensitivity of the instrument at concentration levels typical of atmospheric air. The long-term stability is given by a standard deviation of 0.35 per thousand for CO(2) concentrations of about 400 ppm with signal averaging over 60 s.
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