Isotope Fractionation

Biochemical processes cause a fluctuation in the amount of carbon isotope ratios incorporated into a biological being. The difference between the true amount of carbon and the amount in the plant is known as isotope fractionation.

There are four types of isotope fractionation:

  • equilibrium fractionation
  • kinetic fractionation
  • transient kinetic isotope fractionation
  • mass-independent fractionation