Abstract
THE very low natural abundance of 14C (10−12 times that of 12C) and its exponential decrease in time require exceptionally sensitive methods for its measurement in the dating of archaeological and environmental samples. Present methods count β emission from the nuclear disintegration and so require substantial samples (1–5 g), long count times (1–3 d), and great attention to ensure a low level background. Nevertheless, they have been developed to a point where a reproducibility of 0.025% (one standard deviation) has been attained.1 Here we describe experiments in which dilute (14C=10−4 × 12C) samples for CH2O were enriched by a factor up to 100 by selective photolysis of an individual rotational line in the UV spectrum with a tunable laser. Full details of the experiment will be published elsewhere2. This letter summarises the process and develops its relationship to existing and potential carbon dating methods.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Pearson, G. W., Pilcher, J. R., Baillie, M. G. L. & Hillam, T. Nature 270, 25 (1977).
Hedges, R. E. M., Ho, P. & Moore, C. B. J. Appl. Phys. (to be submitted).
Clark, J. H., Moore, C. B. & Nogar, N. S. J. Chem. Phys. 68, 1264 (1978).
Clark, J. H., Haas, Y., Houston, P. L. & Moore, C. B. Chem. Phys. Lett. 35, 82 (1975).
Marling, J. Chem. Phys. Lett. 34, 84 (1975); J. chem. Phys. 66, 4200 (1977).
Jeffreys, D., Larson, D. & French, J. D. Am. J. Phys. 40, 1400 (1972).
Winter, J. Archaeometry 14, 281 (1972).
Aberth, W., Anbar, D. & Schnitzer, R. 23 Conf. on Mass Spectrometry (Philadelphia, 1975).
Bennett, J. R. J. (in preparation).
Bennett, C. L. et al. Science 198, 508 (1977).
Korteling, R. G., Nelson, D. E. & Stott, J. P. Science 198, 507 (1977).
Muller, R. A. Science 196, 489 (1977).
Doucas, G. et al. Nature 276, 253–255 (1978).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HEDGES, R., MOORE, C. Enrichment of 14C and radiocarbon dating. Nature 276, 255–257 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/276255a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/276255a0
This article is cited by
-
Localization of mechanoreceptors in the protozoan,Stentor coeruleus
Journal of Comparative Physiology A (1989)
-
Laboratory scale-up of two-stage laser chemistry separation of13C from CF2HCl
Applied Physics B Photophysics and Laser Chemistry (1985)
-
Photoreactions of formaldehyde
Reviews of Chemical Intermediates (1981)
-
Enrichment of carbon-14 by selective laser photolysis of formaldehyde
Applied Physics (1980)
-
Extending the range of radiocarbon dating
Nature (1979)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.