High-precision isotopic analysis: Lessons from 'clumped isotope' geochemistry

Several disciplines of geochemistry demand ppm-level precision in isotope ratio measurements (e.g., ^(142)Nd excesses in ancient terrestrial rocks; δ^(15)N in air from ice cores). 'Clumped isotope' geochemistry (the study of molecules containing more than one rare isotope) is one such field that presents several unusual analytical challenges, the solutions to which might inform high-precision isotopic measurements generally.