The Radon Problem in 14C Dating

Abstract

Due to traces of radium and uranium in most 14C samples, radon appears as a radioactive contamination in the CO2 prepared by combustion. This contamination must be removed by an active purification prodecure or by storing the CO2 prior 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 CO2 proportional counter has been studied.