Tracing element pathways and processes of Fe, Cu, Zn and Mo in the geosphere and biosphere using stable isotopes

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The metals iron, copper, zinc and molybdenum play critical roles in a number of significant physiochemical processes. For example, changes in the oxidation state of molybdenum may be linked to changes in the ability of paleo-oceans to have supported life; the metabolism of copper by metalloproteins plays an important role in regulating the distribution of this redox sensitive element in the brain; zinc is used extensively in industry and its presence in the environment might be a useful indicator of anthropogenic activities. Each of these elements possesses several stable isotopes and considerable variations in the isotopic compositions are reported. There is an important opportunity to utilize isotopic composition to learn the function of these key elements at the Earth-Human interface with the ultimate goal of applying this knowledge to challenges in health and environmental chemistry. The goals of the research to be supported by this Discovery Grant are to employ stable isotope techniques to uncover the distribution and variability of isotopic abundances in selected systems; identify the critical regions and interactions in a system where changes in isotopic composition occur; and understand the actual physiochemical processes that are responsible for the isotopic variability. Because these elements are often associated with each other in biogeochemical processes we will seek to synthesize our knowledge of Fe, Cu, Zn and Mo isotopic fractionations to yield a more comprehensive understanding of complex interactions. We want to understand why changes in the isotopic composition of Fe, Cu, Zn and Mo occur and exploit this knowledge to better understand the role of these elements in biogeochemical interactions. **