Stable isotopic identification and method for identifying products by isotopic concentration

Abstract

A stable isotopic identification comprising a mathematical or numerical array of concentrations of isotopes found in a batched product, said mathematical or numerical array being presented in a machine readable form and comparable to analytical results whereby the product can be distinguished from other similar products, said machine readable form also being indexed through stored product information. The stored product information may be displayed when desired. By the stable isotopic identification of the invention, a product may be securely traced through manufacturing of a product, marketing of a product and the use of a product.

1 . An identification for a batched product comprising a mathematical array of concentrations of isotopes, said concentrations of isotopes being the result of an analysis of a plurality of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of said batched product in their isotopically unaltered concentrations, said mathematical array being presented in a readable form, said readable form being comparable to analytical results of the naturally occurring isotopes of unknown products, whereby unknown products can be identified with and differentiated from said known products, said readable form being indexed to stored product information, whereby products can be securely traced through manufacturing and the marketplace and distinguished from unknown products.  
     
     
         2 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said concentrations of isotopes are chosen from the group of isotopic concentrations consisting of concentrations of isotopes, concentrations of isotopes and their errors, ratios of isotope concentrations, ratios of isotope concentrations and their errors, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         3 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said readable form is chosen from the group of readable forms consisting of serial numbers, bar codes, and other numerical and alphabetical indicia.  
     
     
         4 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said mathematical array is chosen from the group of mathematical arrays consisting of a list of a plurality of concentrations, a list of a plurality of isotopic ratios, a list of a plurality of mathematical products of isotopic concentrations, a list of a plurality of mathematical products of isotopic ratios, groups of any such lists, groups of any such mathematical products, groups of any such ratios, groups of any such concentrations, mathematical products of any such concentrations plus or minus their error added, mathematical products of any such ratios plus or minus their error added, any such concentrations, ratios, lists, groups, and mathematical products in quadrature, isotopic ratios of any such mathematical products, ratios of said concentrations plus or minus their errors added, any of such concentrations plus or minus their errors added, factor analysis of any such concentrations, ratios, lists, groups, mathematical products and any determinants and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         5 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein the isotopes available are any of the 252 existing stable isotopes of known elements that have two or more isotopes.  
     
     
         6 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said isotopes are of any of the 13 stable isotopes of the group of elements consisting of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein the error of the identification is chosen by the mathematical array chosen, the number of concentrations of isotopes utilized in said array, and the portion of said array compared with the isotopic analysis of said unknown product.  
     
     
         8 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein the batched product from which the concentrations of isotopes are analyzed and formed into a mathematical array is chosen from the group of batched products consisting of active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients of drug products, impurities in drug products, raw materials and drug products, combustible fuels, additives to combustible fuels, environmental and naturally occurring products, explosives products, ammunition, gun powder, crude oil, petroleum distillates, hazardous waste, paper, ink, tire materials, paints and other coatings, other synthetic materials, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said concentrations of isotopes are chosen from the group of concentrations of isotopes consisting of bulk phase analysis and specific compound analysis.  
     
     
         10 . The isotopic identification of  claim 9  wherein said bulk phase analysis includes off-line dual inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry (irMS) and on-line combustion coupled with high resolution isotope ratio monitoring/mass spectrometry (irmMS).  
     
     
         11 . The isotopic identification of  claim 9  wherein specific compound analysis includes gas chromatography coupled with irMS (irmGCMS) and liquid chromatography coupled with irMS (irmLCMS).  
     
     
         12 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said analyses includes nuclear magnetic resonance.  
     
     
         13 . The isotopic identification of  claim 1  wherein said readable form is a machine readable form that is comparable to other machine readable forms derived from the analysis of known products and their product information stored in memory on a machine together with an index, said machine readable forms, index, and product information being interlinked, said machine readable forms once identified through the index presents stored product information in displayed form.  
     
     
         14 . The isotopic identification of  claim 13  wherein said product information may be scrolled through.  
     
     
         15 . The isotopic identification of  claim 13  wherein said product information may be printed.  
     
     
         16 . The isotopic identification of  claim 13  wherein said product information may be accessed through said index from said machine readable form of said mathematical array.  
     
     
         17 . An identification for a composition comprising an arrangement of empirical information derived from an analysis of a plurality of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of said composition after batching in their isotopically unaltered concentrations, said arrangement comprising a numerical array of said empirical information in a readable form.  
     
     
         18 . The identification of  claim 17  wherein said empirical information further comprises the tolerable error of said analysis.  
     
     
         19 . The identification of  claim 17  wherein said composition is a substance manufactured in an industry chosen from the group of industries consisting of the chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, biomedical, biochemical, environmental, paint, explosive material and combustible fuel industries.  
     
     
         20 . The identification of  claim 1  wherein said readable form is comparable to numerical arrays of isotopic concentrations from the analyses of said naturally occurring stable isotopes of unknown products, whereby said unknown products can be identified with and differentiated from said known batched products.  
     
     
         21 . The identification of  claim 1  wherein said readable form is indexed to stored product information, whereby products can be securely traced through manufacturing and the marketplace and distinguished from said unknown products.  
     
     
         22 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said empirical information is chosen from the group of empirical information consisting of concentrations of isotopes, concentrations of isotopes and their errors, ratios of isotope concentrations, ratios of isotope concentrations and their errors and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         23 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said readable form is chosen from the group of readable forms consisting of serial numbers, bar codes, and other numerical and alphabetical indicia.  
     
     
         24 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said mathematical array is chosen from the group of mathematical arrays consisting of a list of a plurality of concentrations, a list of a plurality of isotopic ratios, a list of a plurality of mathematical products of isotopic concentrations, a list of a plurality of mathematical products of isotopic ratios, groups of any such lists, groups of any such mathematical products, groups of any such ratios, groups of any such concentrations, mathematical products of any such concentrations plus or minus their error added, mathematical products of any such ratios plus or minus their error added, any such concentrations, ratios, lists, groups, and mathematical products in quadrature, isotopic ratios of any such mathematical products, ratios of said concentrations plus or minus their errors added, any of such concentrations plus or minus their errors added, factor analysis of any such concentrations, ratios, lists, groups, mathematical products and any determinants and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         25 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said isotopes are any of the 252 existing stable isotopes of known elements that have two or more isotopes.  
     
     
         26 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said isotopes are of any of the 13 stable isotopes of the group of elements consisting of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         27 . The isotopic identification of  claim 18  wherein the error of the identification is chosen by the mathematical array chosen, the number of concentrations of isotopes utilized in said array, and the portion of said array compared with the isotopic analysis of said unknown product.  
     
     
         28 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein the composition from which the concentrations of isotopes are analyzed and formed into a mathematical array is chosen from the group of batched products consisting of active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients of drug products, impurities in drug products, raw materials, combustible fuels, additives to combustible fuels, environmental and naturally occurring products, explosives products, ammunition, gun powder, crude oil, petroleum distillates, hazardous waste, paper, ink, tire materials, paints and other coatings, and other synthetic materials.  
     
     
         29 . The isotopic identification of  claim 22  wherein said concentrations of isotopes are chosen from the group of concentrations of isotopes consisting of bulk phase analysis and specific compound analysis.  
     
     
         30 . The isotopic identification of  claim 29  wherein said bulk phase analysis includes off-line dual inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry (irMS) and on-line combustion coupled with high resolution isotope ratio monitoring/mass spectrometry (irmMS).  
     
     
         31 . The isotopic identification of  claim 29  wherein specific compound analysis includes gas chromatography coupled with irMS (irmGCMS) and liquid chromatography coupled with irMS (irmLCMS).  
     
     
         32 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said analyses includes nuclear magnetic resonance.  
     
     
         33 . The isotopic identification of  claim 17  wherein said readable form is a machine readable form that is comparable to other machine readable forms derived from the analysis of known products and their product information stored in memory on a machine together with an index, said machine readable forms, index, and product information being interlinked, said machine readable forms once identified through the index presents stored product information in displayed form.  
     
     
         34 . The isotopic identification of  claim 33  wherein said product information may be scrolled through.  
     
     
         35 . The isotopic identification of  claim 33  wherein said product information may be printed.  
     
     
         36 . The isotopic identification of  claim 33  wherein said product information may be accessed through said index from said machine readable form of said mathematical array.  
     
     
         37 . An identification for a batched product comprising an arrangement of empirical information derived from an analysis of a plurality of naturally occurring stable isotopes of said batched product in their isotopically unaltered concentrations, said arrangement comprising a numerical array of said empirical information in a readable form.  
     
     
         38 . An identification for a batched product comprising empirical information derived from an analysis of a plurality of naturally occurring stable isotopes of said batched product in their isotopically unaltered concentrations, said empirical information being arranged in a numerical array, said array being in a readable form, said readable form being comparable to the empirical information of said naturally occurring isotopes of an unknown product, said readable form being indexed to stored product information, whereby unknown products can be identified with and differentiated from said known products.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said batched product is a sample of a product larger in volume than said sample, and said sampling of said larger in volume product is more precise than the precision of said analysis of a plurality of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of said batched product.  
     
     
         40 . The identification of  claim 1  wherein each of said analysis of a plurality of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of said batched product has a dynamic range equal to the observed range divided by the 1-sigma standard deviation.  
     
     
         41 . The identification of  claim 40  wherein the precision of each of said analysis of a plurality of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of said batched product is the 1-sigma standard deviation of the analysis performed divided by the square root of the number of observations of said analysis.  
     
     
         42 . The identification of  claim 40  wherein the dynamic range is the range of values expected for an analysis divided by the 1-sigma standard deviation of that analysis.