Abstract

ABSTRACT Naturally‐occurring variations in the abundances of the stable isotopes of carbon and other elements can be used to understand the dynamics of natural processes in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, medicine, ecology and other fields. The use of carbon‐13 isotopic abundances as an indicator of photosynthetic function in plants has become common. The purpose of this article is to describe the physical and chemical processes that contribute to the abundances of carbon‐13 in plant materials, and to provide a framework for understanding how those processes control the isotopic contents of natural materials.

Keywords

Isotopes of carbonCarbon fibersEnvironmental chemistryStable isotope ratioPhotosynthesisChemistryEcologyEnvironmental scienceBiologyTotal organic carbonPhysicsMaterials scienceNuclear physics

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Publication Info

Year
1992
Type
article
Volume
15
Issue
9
Pages
1099-1104
Citations
239
Access
Closed

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M. H. O'LEARY, S. Madhavan, Piotr Paneth (1992). Physical and chemical basis of carbon isotope fractionation in plants. Plant Cell & Environment , 15 (9) , 1099-1104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.1992.tb01660.x

Identifiers

DOI
10.1111/j.1365-3040.1992.tb01660.x