Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas Natural Radiocarbon Measurements VI

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The I.V.I.C. laboratory continues operation using liquid scintillation spectrometry with synthesized benzene. A plastic-glass counting vessel contains 3 ml benzene, 1 ml commercial toluene, and concentrations of 0.4% PPO and 0.01% POPOP as scintillators. Background is 6.9 cpm and activity of the modern standard, 95% of the activity of the NBS oxalic acid, is 21.4 cpm. In the age calculations, 5568 years is taken for the half-life of C14and quoted errors are one standard deviation arising from the random nature of the radioactive disintegration process. Uncertainties in the half-life are not included nor are variations in the deposition rate of stratospheric radiocarbon and dilution by industrial use of fossil fuels. A.D. 1950 is employed as the reference year in the B.P. (before present) notation of ages.