FEBS-1 is a saggital otolith reference material procured from red snapper
(Lutjanus campechanus). Intended Use
This reference material is primarily intended for use in the calibration of procedures and the development of methods used for the analysis of bulk elemental composition of otoliths and other marine aragonites. Storage and Sampling
This material should be kept tightly closed in the original bottle and should be stored in a cool location. The contents should be well mixed by rotation and shaking of the bottle prior to use. The bottle should be tightly closed immediately after use. Instructions for Drying
FEBS-1 can be dried to constant mass in an oven for 3 hours at 105 °C. Preparation of FEBS-1
The otoliths were extracted from the fish, rinsed in ultrapure water, air-dried, and stored in polyethylene bottles. Surface contamination was later removed in a class 100 cleanroom by rest-rinsing all otoliths in 2% ultrapure HNO3 for 5 minutes, followed by triple-rinsing in ultrapure water. Otoliths were subsequently sonicated in ultrapure water for 10 minutes, triple-rinsed again in ultrapure water and allowed to dry under a laminar flow hood for 72 hours. The otoliths were crushed using a ball mill and the resulting powder was sieved through 100 and 200 mesh stainless steel sieves (150 µm and 75 µm particle sizes, respectively). The 100+ and 200+ fractions were returned to the mill and ground until all material passed the 200 mesh sieve. The material was then radiation sterilized at a minimum dose of 25 kGy (Neutron Products Inc., Dickerson, MD, USA). Stability
As a result of interest in only the total amount content of the major, minor and trace elements, coupled with the chemical and physical properties of the matrix, the need for any rigorous stability testing of this material under its recommended conditions of storage was obviated and, as such, contributions to a specific long-term stability component of the uncertainty were not included in the evaluation of the combined uncertainty presented in Table 2.
Expiry
The certified values for FEBS-1 are considered valid until April 2015, provided the CRM is handled and stored in accordance with instructions herein.
keywords: Biological material |
