Radiocarbon dating with electrostatic accelerators: dating of milligram samples.

The recently developed direct counting technique for radiocarbon atoms has been used to measure the relative numbers of such atoms in various geological samples which had earlier been dated by the beta-ray counting method. Sample weights ranged from 3.5 to 15 milligrams. The dates determined by the two methods are consistent with each other. Further experience with the new method is also reported.

Radiocarbon dating using electrostatic accelerators: negative ions provide the key.

Mass spectrometric methods have long been suggested as ways of measuring (14)C/(12)C ratios for carbon dating. One problem has been to distinguish between (14)N and (14)C. With negative ions and a tandem electrostatic accelerator, the (14)N background is virtually absent and fewer than three (14)C atoms in 10(16) atoms of (12)C have been easily measured.