Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-7jgsp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T00:45:00.234Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Measurement of Low 14C Activities in a Liquid Scintillation Counter in the Zagreb Radiocarbon Laboratory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Nada Horvatinčić ,
Jadranka Barešić ,
Ines Krajcar Bronić  and
Bogomil Obelić
Nada Horvatinčić*
Affiliation:
Rudjer Bošković Institute, P.O. Box 180, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia.
Jadranka Barešić
Affiliation:
Rudjer Bošković Institute, P.O. Box 180, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia.
Ines Krajcar Bronić*
Affiliation:
Rudjer Bošković Institute, P.O. Box 180, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia.
Bogomil Obelić
Affiliation:
Rudjer Bošković Institute, P.O. Box 180, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia.
*
Email: Nada.Horvatincic@irb.hr.
Corresponding author. Email: krajcar@irb.hr.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Two methods of chemical preparation of radiocarbon samples are implemented in the Zagreb Radiocarbon Laboratory for measurement by a new liquid scintillation counter (LSC), Quantulus 1220™: a CO2 absorption method (LSC-A) and a benzene synthesis method (LSC-B). For samples prepared by both methods, the optimal counting windows for measurement in LSC were determined. The total efficiency of LSC-A is 65% and that of the LSC-B is 83%, while the corresponding 14C dating limits are 31,800 yr and 52,160 yr, respectively.

14C activities measured by the LSC-A and LSC-B methods were compared with those measured by the gas proportional counter (GPC) method (efficiency 75%, 14C dating limit 37,500 yr). The results obtained by the LSC-A method have larger errors than those measured by the GPC method, but LSC-A is quick, inexpensive, simple, and requires less carbon than the GPC method. Thus, LSC-A is suitable for 14C measurements of geological, hydrological, and environmental samples. On the other hand, the results obtained by the LSC-B method give smaller errors and a larger 14C dating range. Therefore, LSC-B is more suitable for 14C dating of archaeological samples.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 46 , Issue 1: Proceedings of the 18th International Radiocarbon Conference (Part 1 of 2), Conference Editors: Nancy Beavan Athfield, Rodger J Sparks , 2004 , pp. 105 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

References

Aravena, R, Drimmie, RR, Qureshi, RM, McNeely, R, Fabris, S. 1989. New possibilities for 14C measurements. Radiocarbon 31(3):387–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arslanov, Kh A, Tetrychnaya, TV, Chernov, SB. 1993. Problems and methods of dating low-activity samples by liquid scintillation counting. Radiocarbon 35(3): 393–8.Google Scholar
Belluomini, G, Delfino, A, Manfra, L, Petrone, V. 1978. Benzene synthesis for radiocarbon dating and study of the catalyst used for acetylene trimerisation. International Journal of Applied Radiation and Isotopes 29: 453–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enerson, TB, Haas, H, Zarrabi, K, Titus, RL. 1998. Comparison of vanadium oxide catalysts for synthesis of benzene: benzene purity, yields and reconditioning methods. Radiocarbon 40(1):167–75.Google Scholar
Gupta, SK, Polach, HA. 1985. Radiocarbon Dating Practices at ANU. Canberra: Radiocarbon Laboratory Research School of Pacific Studies, ANU. p 1–175.Google Scholar
Horvatinčić, N, Srdoč, D, Obelić, B, Krajcar Bronić, I. 1990. Radiocarbon dating of intercomparison samples at the Zagreb Radiocarbon Laboratory. Radiocarbon 32(2):295–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horvatinčić, N, Obelić, B, Krajcar Bronić, I, Srdoč, D, Bistrović, R. 1995. Sources of radon contamination in C-14 dating. Radiocarbon 37(2):749–57.Google Scholar
Krajcar Bronić, I, Horvatinčić, N, Obelić, B, Bistrović, R. 1995. Radiocarbon intercomparison studies at the Rudjer Bošković Institute. Radiocarbon 37(2):805–11.Google Scholar
McCormac, FG, Kalin, RM, Long, A. 1993. Radiocarbon dating beyond 50,000 years by liquid scintillation counting. 1993 Liquid Scintillation Spectrometry. Radiocarbon 32(1):125–33.Google Scholar
Momoshima, N, Kawamura, H, Takashima, Y. 1993. Determination of 14C in environmental materials: combination of CO2 absorbent and a large-volume low-background liquid-scintillation counter. Journal of Radioanalysis and Nuclear Chemistry 173/2:323–9.Google Scholar
Muraki, Y, Kocharov, G, Nishiyama, T, Naruse, Y, Murata, T, Masuda, K, Arslanov Kh, A. 1998. The new Nagoya Radiocarbon Laboratory. Radiocarbon 40(1):177–82.Google Scholar
Nair, AR, Sinha, UK, Joseph, TB, Rao, SM. 1995. Radiocarbon dating up to 37,000 years using CO2 absorption technique. Nuclear Geophysics 9/3:263–8.Google Scholar
Noakes, JE, Kim, SM, Stipp, JJ. 1965. Chemical and counting advances in liquid scintillation age dating. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Radiocarbon and Tritium Dating. Washington, DC: Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information. p 68–92.Google Scholar
Qureshi, RM, Aravena, R, Fritz, P, Drimmie, R. 1989. The CO2 absorption method as an alternative to benzene synthesis method for 14C dating. Applied Geochemistry 4:625–33.Google Scholar
Pawlyta, J, Pazdur, A, Rakowski, AZ. 1998. Commissioning of a Quantulus 1220TM liquid scintillation beta spectrometer for measuring 14C and 3H at natural abundance levels. Radiocarbon 40(1):201–9.Google Scholar
Rao, RR, Killey, RWD. 1994. Quantitative separation and determination of inorganic and organic forms of total carbon and radiocarbon in natural waters and application at a radioactive waste management site. Radiochimica Acta 65:63–74.Google Scholar
Srdoč, D, Breyer, B, Sliepčević, A. 1971. Rudjer Bošković Institute radiocarbon measurements I. Radiocarbon 13(1):135–40.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M, Polach, HA. 1977. Discussion: reporting of 14C data. Radiocarbon 19(3):355–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tamers, MA. 1975. Chemical yield optimization of the benzene synthesis for radiocarbon dating. International Journal of Applied Radiation and Isotopes 26: 676–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woo, HJ, Chun, SK, Cho, SY, Kim, YS, Kang, DW, Kim, EH. 1999. Optimization of liquid scintillation counting techniques for the determination of carbon-14 in environmental samples. Journal of Radioanalysis and Nuclear Chemistry 239:649–55.Google Scholar