| Professional Committee of Rock and Mineral Testing Technology of the Geological Society of China, National Geological Experiment and Testing Center | Host |
| Citation: |
SONG Yilong, LIU Min, HOU Kejun. A Review of Research Progress on Separation and Purification Methods of Lithium Isotopes Using Cation Exchange Resin and Their Applications[J]. Rock and Mineral Analysis, 2024, 43(5): 677-692. doi: 10.15898/j.ykcs.202409050181
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A Review of Research Progress on Separation and Purification Methods of Lithium Isotopes Using Cation Exchange Resin and Their Applications
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Abstract
Lithium (Li) isotopes serve as effective geochemical tracers in mantle-crust cycling, planetary evolution, climate change, continental weathering, mineralization mechanisms, and environmental pollution studies. Efficient separation of lithium from natural samples is essential due to potential interference from isobaric isotopes during analysis. Over the past decades, cation exchange resin methods have been developed to enhance lithium separation for TIMS and MC-ICP-MS analysis. Since then, these methods have evolved to reduce blank contamination, simplify procedures, improve efficiency, and expand applicability to various natural samples. This review examines recent advances in Li isotope separation using single-column, double-column, multi-column and in-series column methods. Key factors like resin type, eluent volume, and method efficiency for various samples are discussed. Single- and double-column methods dominate current research, of which some methods just use minimal resin and eluent while controlling process blanks to below 0.1‰. However, separation efficiency remains dependent on lithium content and matrix ions in the sample. Further optimization is needed to balance efficiency, cost, and applicability across sample types. As analytical techniques advance, automated elution systems are likely to become central to Li isotope analysis. The BRIEF REPORT is available for this paper at
http://www.ykcs.ac.cn/en/article/doi/10.15898/j.ykcs.202409050181 . -
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References
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SONG Yilong, LIU Min, HOU Kejun. A Review of Research Progress on Separation and Purification Methods of Lithium Isotopes Using Cation Exchange Resin and Their Applications[J]. Rock and Mineral Analysis, 2024, 43(5): 677-692. doi: 10.15898/j.ykcs.202409050181
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Figure 1.
The Li isotopic compositions in different natural reservoirs (Modified from Zhang［31］)
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Figure 2.
Schematic diagram of lithium elution process by column chromatography (Modified from Schonbachler, et al［37］): (a) Lithium is completely adsorbed by the resin; (b) Lithium migrates downward in the resin column with the eluent; (c) Lithium is completely eluted and separated.
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Figure 3.
Sketch of the single-column configuration and elution curve (Modified from Zhu, et al［45］)
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Figure 4.
Dual-column leaching curves of international basalt standard sample JB-2 (Modified from Song［57］)
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Figure 5.
Sketch of the in-series column configuration and elution curves (Modified from Zhu, et al［51］)