Comparison of fast-atom bombardment, thermal ionization and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the measurement of 64Zn/67Zn stable isotopes in human nutrition studies.

Fast-atom bombardment, thermal ionization and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are contrasted in comparative measurements of 64Zn/67Zn isotope ratios on samples isolated in the course of a human mineral-nutrition experiment. The data are evaluated with reference to the precision normally required in enriched stable-isotope mineral-nutrition studies, and the convenience of the mass spectrometric techniques is also compared.