| Carbon 14 |
Article Index for Carbon |
Information AboutCarbon 14 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CARBON-14 | |
| isotopes of carbon | |
| environmental isotopes | |
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It occurs naturally and has a relative abundance up to 1 part per trillion (0.0000000001%) of all naturally-occurring carbon on Earth. The Half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. It decays into Nitrogen-14 through Beta-decay . {Link without Title} Carbon-14 is produced in the upper layers of the troposphere and the stratosphere by Thermal Neutron s absorbed by Nitrogen atoms. When Cosmic Rays enter the atmosphere, they undergo various transformations, including the production of Neutrons . The resulting neutrons participate in the following reaction: n The highest rate of carbon-14 production takes place at altitudes of 9 Km to 15 Km (30,000 to 50,000 Feet ), and at high geomagnetic latitudes, but the carbon-14 spreads evenly throughout the atmosphere and reacts with Oxygen to form radioactive Carbon Dioxide . Carbon dioxide also permeates the Ocean s, dissolving in the water. Carbon-14 can also be produced in Ice by Fast Neutron s causing Spallation reactions in Oxygen . Most of man-made chemicals are made of Fossil Fuel s, like Petroleum or Coal , where the carbon-14 decayed. Presence of carbon-14 in the Isotopic Signature of a sample of carbonaceous material therefore indicates its possible biogenic origin. SEE ALSO REFERENCES Kamen, Martin D. ''Radiant Science, Dark Politics: A Memoir of the Nuclear Age'', Forward by Edwin M. McMillan , Berkeley : University of California Press, 1985. |
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