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Carbon-14, C-14, 14 C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons.Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colleagues (1949) to date archaeological, geological and hydrogeological samples.
Radiocarbon dating helped verify the authenticity of the Dead Sea scrolls.. Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
Carbon (6 C) has 14 known isotopes, from 8 C to 20 C as well as 22 C, of which 12 C and 13 C are stable. The longest-lived radioisotope is 14 C, with a half-life of 5.70(3) × 10 3 years. This is also the only carbon radioisotope found in nature, as trace quantities are formed cosmogenically by the reaction 14 N + n → 14 C + 1 H. The most ...
The symbol is α or α 2+. Because they are identical to helium nuclei, they are also called He 2+ or 4 2 He 2+ indicating helium with a +2 charge (missing its two electrons). If the ion gains electrons from its environment, the α particle can be written as a normal (electrically neutral) helium atom 4 2 He.
Carbon (from Latin carbo ' coal ') is a chemical element; it has symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 electrons. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. [13]
On the other hand, carbon-14 decays by beta decay, whereby one neutron is transmuted into a proton with the emission of an electron and an antineutrino. Thus the atomic number increases by 1 ( Z : 6 → 7) and the mass number remains the same ( A = 14), while the number of neutrons decreases by 1 ( N : 8 → 7). [ 5 ]
Nitrogen-14 is the source of naturally-occurring, radioactive, carbon-14. Some kinds of cosmic radiation cause a nuclear reaction with nitrogen-14 in the upper atmosphere of the Earth, creating carbon-14, which decays back to nitrogen-14 with a half-life of 5700(30) years .
Carbon is most commonly used in its amorphous form. In this form, carbon is used for steelmaking, as carbon black, as a filling in tires, in respirators, and as activated charcoal. Carbon is also used in the form of graphite, for example as the lead in pencils. Diamond, another form of carbon, is commonly used in jewelry. [18]