Radiocarbon Dating: Applications of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

4.4 Radiocarbon dating of the Iceman Ötzi with accelerator mass spectrometry

On 19 September 1991 an extraordinary archaeological discovery was made at a high-altitude mountain pass (Tisenjoch, 3210 m) of the Ötztal Alps near the Austrian-Italian border. Two mountain hikers from Nürnberg, Erika and Helmut Simon, after having scaled the Finail Peak (3516 m) that day were on their way back to the Similaun mountain hut (3019 m) located at the lowest part of a mountain ridg...

Introduction to Radiocarbon Determination by the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Method

There are three principal isotopes of carbon which occur naturally C, C (both stable) and C (unstable or radioactive). These isotopes are present in the following amounts C 98.89%, C 1.11%, and C 0.00000000010%. Thus, one carbon-14 atom exists in nature for every 1,000,000,000,000 or (1 in a trillion) carbon-12 atoms in living material. The radiocarbon method is based on the rate of decay of th...

Accelerator mass spectrometry and its applications

The state of the art in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is reviewed. The review is divided in two parts. The first covers the general methodology, followed by its specific elaborations for the commonly measured long-lived isotopes such as 10Be, 14C, 26Al, 36Cl and 129I, as well as other isotopes with emerging applications. The second part considers the very wide spectrum of applications tha...

Radiocarbon Dating.

Biomedical accelerator mass spectrometry: recent applications in metabolism and pharmacokinetics.

BACKGROUND Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a sensitive isotope ratio technique used in drug development that allows for small levels of 14C-drug to be administered to humans, thereby removing regulatory hurdles associated with radiotracer studies. AMS uses innovative study designs to obtain pharmacokinetic and metabolism data. OBJECTIVE This review addresses the metabolism and pharmaco...