Variability in the preservation of the isotopic composition of collagen from fossil bone

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(88)90364-X· OSTI ID:5152588

Tuross, N; Fogel, M L; Hare, P E ^[1]

---

1. Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC (USA)

Collagen from bone was prepared by several methods. For modern and well-preserved bone the {delta}{sup 13}C and {delta}{sup 15}N of collagen replicas obtained after HCl or EDTA demineralization were similar to those obtained with a gelatinization procedure. However, in more poorly preserved fossil bone the {delta}{sup 13}C and {delta}{sup 15}N varied among the different protein extracts. The yield of collagen obtained with EDTA demineralization was consistently higher than extraction procedures that used HCl. The {delta}{sup 13}C of individual amino acids separated from the collagen of modern and fossil whale bone varied up to 17{per thousand}, and the {delta}{sup 15}N from the same amino acids ranged over 47{per thousand}. The {delta}{sup 13}C and {delta}{sup 15}N of most amino acids clustered closely to the average of the HCl insoluble collagen. The {delta}{sup 13}C of the major amino acid in collagen, glycine, differed from the average HCl insoluble collagen by approximately 8{per thousand} in the fossil whale and 14{per thousand} in the modern whale. The {delta}{sup 15}N of glycine differed from the average HCl insoluble values by approximately 4{per thousand} in the fossil whale and 7{per thousand} in the modern whale. Thus, diagenetic changes that alter the ratio of glycine to other amino acids in bone can be expected to perturb the values for carbon and nitrogen isotopes.

• OSTI ID: 5152588
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA), Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA) Vol. 52:4; ISSN GCACA; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
AMINO ACIDS
ANIMAL TISSUES
BODY
BONE TISSUES
CARBON 13
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
COLLAGEN
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
DEMINERALIZATION
DIAGENESIS
DISSOLUTION
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GEOCHEMISTRY
GLYCINE
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NITROGEN 15
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PROTEINS
SCLEROPROTEINS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SKELETON
STABLE ISOTOPES
TISSUES
VARIATIONS