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Large-Volume Liquid Scintillation Counting of Carbon-14

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Lorenz Eichinger
Affiliation:
Institut für Radiohydrometrie der Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, Neuherberg, Federal Republic of Germany
Werner Rauert
Affiliation:
Institut für Radiohydrometrie der Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, Neuherberg, Federal Republic of Germany
Josef Salvamoser
Affiliation:
Institut für Radiohydrometrie der Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, Neuherberg, Federal Republic of Germany
Manfred Wolf
Affiliation:
Institut für Radiohydrometrie der Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, Neuherberg, Federal Republic of Germany
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Abstract

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Efforts have been undertaken to further improve the relatively simple technique of low-level liquid scintillation counting of 14C. Two different approaches have been made. By synthesizing more benzene for 14C measurement than usual (with up to 19.5g of carbon) an experimental detection limit of about 0.1 percent modern has been achieved (97.5% confidence level, 1000 min). Absorption of CO2 with up to 5.3g of carbon in 160ml of an absorbent-scintillation solution and counting in a special measuring chamber resulted in an experimental detection limit of about 1 percent modern, with the sample preparation taking only 1 hour. The detection limits achieved by the two techniques correspond to 14C ages of about 55,000 and 35,000 years BP, respectively.

Type
Techniques
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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