Radionuclides radiocarbon

The existence of radiocarbon (14C) was not realized until 1934, when an unknown radionuclide was formed during exposure of nitrogen to neutrons in a cloud chamber (Kurie, 1934). In 1940, Martin Kamen confirmed the existence of 14C when he prepared a measurable quantity of 14C. Over the next few decades more details on the production rate of 14C in the atmosphere and possible applications for dating archeological samples continued (Anderson et al., 1947 Arnold and Libby, 1949 Anderson and Libby, 1951 Kamen, 1963 Ralph, 1971 Libby, 1982). 

Radiocarbon is one of the most widely applied radionuclides in geochemical studies and one of the most interesting. Like many... 

Some anthropogenically introduced radionuclides and synthetic compounds are useful as ocean circulation tracers. These include tritium, bomb radiocarbon and CFCs. 

The majority of isotopes of the elements are unstable with respect to other nuclides, and spontaneously transform to more stable nuclides. These unstable species are referred to as radionuclides or radioisotopes. Two key applications of isotope ratio measurements to radioisotopes are the characterization of fissionable materials and radiocarbon dating. 

If a scientist measures the relative proportions of carbon-12 and carbon-14, the smaller the amount of carbon-14, the further back in time the uptake of radionuclide stopped. The proportion of carbon-14 can be used to estimate the age of the sample and is the basis for radiocarbon dating (Figure 2.21). 

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