A practical guide to clumped isotope geochemistry

Clumped isotope geochemistry examines the spatial organization of rare isotopes within molecules and structural units of minerals. It principally focuses on the ordering, or 'clumping' of rare isotopes into bonds with or near each other rather than with isotopically normal atoms. Measurements of isotopic clumping encounter unique problems and limitations. Here, I discuss and illustrate the practical sides of this field, by way of a set of pithy aphorisms that should be followed when making such measurements by gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometry.