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Radiocarbon Dating of Millimole-Sized Gaseous Samples

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Dušan Srdoč ,
Bogomil Obelić  and
Nada Horvatinčić
Dušan Srdoč
Affiliation:
Ruder Bošković Institute, Zagreb, POBox 1016, Yugoslavia
Bogomil Obelić
Affiliation:
Ruder Bošković Institute, Zagreb, POBox 1016, Yugoslavia
Nada Horvatinčić
Affiliation:
Ruder Bošković Institute, Zagreb, POBox 1016, Yugoslavia
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Abstract

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As an alternative to the accelerator technique, a simple, compact, small counter system has been developed and tested for routine 14C dating. Our small counter is an all-metal design made of the OFHC copper with quartz supports for the anode (25μm stainless steel). Careful selection of materials for the counter construction was made based on the measurements of the alpha contamination. Methane as the counter filling gave better resolution and gas gain stability, whereas CO2 gave lower background counting rate and it was easier to prepare and to handle. The long term run using CH4 showed that the gas gain remained stable within 1–2% for months after the initial drop which followed the counter filling. A 7-day counting period was sufficient to achieve a 3% relative standard deviation which was considered acceptable for routine dating of younger samples.

Type
V. General Aspects of 14C Technique
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 25 , Issue 2: 11th International Radiocarbon Conference , 1983 , pp. 485 - 492
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

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