Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Measuring Carbon-based Contaminant Mineralization Using Combined CO2 Flux and Radiocarbon Analyses
Published on: October 21, 2016
Optical Measurement of Radiocarbon below Unity Fraction Modern by Linear Absorption Spectroscopy
Adam J Fleisher1, David A Long1, Qingnan Liu1
1National Institute of Standards and Technology , 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States.
Abstract:
High-precision measurements of radiocarbon (14C) near or below a fraction modern 14C of 1 (F14C ≤ 1) are challenging and costly. An accurate, ultrasensitive linear absorption approach to detecting 14C would provide a simple and robust benchtop alternative to off-site accelerator mass spectrometry facilities. Here we report the quantitative measurement of 14C in gas-phase samples of CO2 with F14C < 1 using cavity ring-down spectroscopy in the linear absorption regime. Repeated analysis of CO2 derived from the combustion of either biogenic or petrogenic sources revealed a robust ability to differentiate samples with F14C < 1. With a combined uncertainty of 14C/12C = 130 fmol/mol (F14C = 0.11), initial performance of the calibration-free instrument is sufficient to investigate a variety of applications in radiocarbon measurement science including the study of biofuels and bioplastics, illicitly traded specimens, bomb dating, and atmospheric transport.
More Related Videos
10:22Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements
Published on: September 7, 2019
06:50O-cresol Concentration Online Measurement Based On Near Infrared Spectroscopy Via Partial Least Square Regression
Published on: November 8, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
The atomizer used in AAS can be either a flame atomizer or an...
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Lab
Solutions containing organic solvents, such as low-molecular-mass alcohols, esters, or ketones, enhance absorbances by increasing...
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Radiation and Light Sources
Two common narrow-range 'line' sources used in AAS are hollow-cathode lamps (HCLs) and...
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Overview
When irradiated by EMR of a particular wavelength, these...
Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Atomization Methods