14C Accelerator mass spectrometry in Brazil

Radiocarbon Accelerator Mass Spectrometry is an ultra-sensitive technique that enables the direct measurement of carbon isotopes in samples as small as a few milligrams. The possibility of dating or tracing rare or even compound specific carbon samples has application in many fields of science such as Archaeology, Geosciences and Biomedicine. Several kinds of material such as wood, charcoal, carbonate and bone can be chemically treated and converted to graphite to be measured in the accelerator system. The Physics Institute of Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), in Brazil will soon be able to perform the complete 14C-AMS measurement of samples. At the Nuclear Chronology Laboratory (LACRON) samples are prepared and converted to carbon dioxide. A stainless steel vacuum system was constructed for carbon dioxide purification and graphitization is performed in sealed tubes in a muffle oven. Graphite samples will be analyzed in a 250 kV Single Stage Accelerator produced by National Electrostatic Corporation which will be installed in the beginning of 2012. With the sample preparation laboratory at LACRON and the SSAMS system, the Physics Institute of UFF will be the first 14C-AMS facility in Latin America. (author)