Organic molecules are key components of the Earth-life system. Their stable isotope composition provides information on various problems such as past climate, energy resources, or the synthesis of prebiotically relevant molecules on Earth and elsewhere. Organic molecules are made of isotopologues, molecules differing in the number and/or position of isotope substitution. Recent years have witnessed a boom in technological development dedicated to isotopologue measurement, leading to an unprecedented degree of information regarding organic (bio)synthesis. While applications in Earth and planetary sciences has been limited so far to simple hydrocarbons, typically methane, isotopologue proxies are expected to rapidly emerge in biogeochemistry, providing new types of environmental and biological tracers. This review describes principles and measurement techniques, as well as present and potential biogeochemical applications.

有机分子是地球生命系统的关键组成部分。它们稳定的同位素组成提供了有关各种问题的信息，例如过去的气候、能源资源或地球和其他地方的益生元相关分子的合成。有机分子是由同位素同位素组成的，同位素同位素的数量和/或位置不同。近年来，专门用于同位素体测量的技术发展蓬勃发展，导致有关有机（生物）合成的信息达到前所未有的程度。虽然迄今为止在地球和行星科学中的应用仅限于简单的碳氢化合物，通常是甲烷，但预计同位素体替代物将在生物地球化学中迅速出现，提供新型的环境和生物示踪剂。