The Radiocarbon Content of Individual Lignin-Derived Phenols: Technique and Initial Results

Abstract

We present a method for the isolation of phenolic compounds derived from lignin for radiocarbon analysis.These phenols are generated by chemical oxidation of polymeric materials and derivatized for separation and recovery by pre-parative capillary gas chromatography (PCGC). This technique yields tens of micrograms of pure, stable compounds that canbe converted to graphite and analyzed by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Analysis of model flavor compounds anddated woods indicates that, in most cases, the radiocarbon (14C) contents of the individual compounds, corrected for the con-tribution of the derivative, agree with that of the bulk material to within 20‰.