An investigation of the concentration of the heavy isotope
of oxygen, O18, in various samples of water was carried out. Natural
variations as high as 2.9% were found - glacier water being 2.3%
light and Dead Sea water 2.0% heavy, as compared to Lake Ontario water
as standard. Other values - water from tank oxygen + 2.9%, atmospheric
water vapor -0.9%, Atlantic Ocean water +0.4%, Pacific Ocean water
- 0.8% , and atmospheric carbon dioxide - 0.5%. The water samples were
equilibrated with tank carbon dioxide, which was then analyzed using
the mass spectrometer. Some work was also done on photosynthesis.
The free water, water of crystallization, and tissue oxygen (as water) ,
in a normal leaf which had bean photosynthesizing for 8 hours, were
analyzed by equilibration with carbon dioxide as above. It was found
that all of these were more enriched in oxygen 18 than the water with
which they were fed . The free water averaged about 1.3% heavy, water
of crystallization as high as 8.7% heavy, and tissue oxygen varied from
0.5% light to 5.5% heavy. This work only just touches the edges of this
field - many more interesting experiments remain to be carried out later. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/23629 |
| Date | 10 1900 |
| Creators | Vrooman, Ransom H. |
| Contributors | Thode, H.G., Chemistry |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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