The Radon Problem in14C Dating
- 1 January 1983
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Radiocarbon
- Vol. 25 (2) , 501-510
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200005798
Abstract
Due to traces of radium and uranium in most14C samples, radon appears as a radioactive contamination in the CO2prepared by combustion. This contamination must be removed by an active purification prodecure or by storing the CO2prior to measurement. No effective electronic discrimination against radon and its daughter elements can be performed. The necessary storage time until radon has decayed varies widely, especially for marine shells. The latter material, collected from Norway and Svalbard, has been a main object for the present investigation. In a few cases, a measureable amount of radon may be left even after eight weeks. The behavior of radon and its daughter elements in a CO2proportional counter has been studied.Keywords
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