Highly branched isoprenoid hydrogen and carbon isotope data from lake sediment samples collected from the Adirondack region

Concentrations, hydrogen (δ2H) and carbon isotopes (δ13C) of highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs) from surface sediment samples from 12 lakes in the Adirondack region in New York. To understand the relationship between HBIs and source water, we measured the δ2H of lake water in addition to the δ2H of HBIs. HBIs were isolated using column chromatography, and were identified and quantified using an Agilent 7890A gas chromatograph (GC) coupled with an Agilent 5975C quadrupole mass selective detector (MSD). Compound specific carbon and hydrogen isotopes of the HBIs were measured using a Thermo Trace GC Ultra coupled to an Isolink pyrolysis reactor and interfaced to a Thermo Electron Delta V Advantage IRMS. Water isotopes were measured on either a Picarro L2130-i cavity ring-down spectrometer water isotope analyzer or GasBench-IRMS.