Iron-Manganese System for Preparation of Radiocarbon AMS Targets: Characterization of Procedural Chemical-Isotopic Blanks and Fractionation

We report a practical system to mass-produce accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) targets with 10-100 micrograms carbon samples. Carbon dioxide is reduced quantitatively to graphite on iron fibers via manganese metal, and the Fe-C fibers are melted into a bead suitable for AMS. Pretreatment, reduction and melting processes occur in sealed quartz tubes, allowing parallel processing for otherwise time-intensive procedures. Chemical and isotopic (13C, 14C) blanks, target yields and isotopic fractionation were investigated with respect to levels of sample size, amounts of Fe and Mn, pretreatment and reduction time, and hydrogen pressure. With 7-day pretreatments, carbon blanks exhibited a lognormal mass distribution of 1.44 micrograms (central mean) with a dispersion of 0.50 micrograms (standard deviation). Reductions of 10 micrograms carbon onto targets were complete in 3-6 h with all targets, after correction for the blank, reflecting the 13C signature of the starting material. The 100 micrograms carbon samples required at least 15 h for reduction; shorter durations resulted in isotopic fractionation as a function of chemical yield. The trend in the 13C data suggested the presence of kinetic isotope effects during the reduction. The observed CO2-graphite 13C fractionation factor was 3-4% smaller than the equilibrium value in the simple Rayleigh model. The presence of hydrogen promoted methane formation in yields up to 25%. Fe-C beaded targets were made from NIST Standard Reference Materials and compared with graphitic standards. Although the 12C ion currents from the beads were one to two orders of magnitude lower than currents from the graphite, measurements of the beaded standards were reproducible and internally consistent. Measurement reproducibility was limited mainly by Poisson counting statistics and blank variability, translating to 14C uncertainties of 5-1% for 10-100 micrograms carbon samples, respectively. A bias of 5-7% (relative) was observed between the beaded and graphitic targets, possibly due to variations in sputtering fractionation dependent on sample size, chemical form and beam geometry.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Sources of Urban Contemporary Carbon Aerosol

Emissions from the major sources of fine carbonaceous aerosol in the Los Angeles basin atmosphere have been analyzed to determine the amounts of the ^(12)C and ^(14)C isotopes present. From these measurements, an inventory of the fossil carbon and contemporary carbon particle emissions to the Los Angeles atmosphere has been created. In the winter, more than half of the fine primary carbonaceous aerosol emissions are from sources containing contemporary carbon, including fireplaces, charbroilers, paved road dust, cigarette smoke, and brake lining dust, while in the summer at least one-third of the carbonaceous particle emissions are contemporary. Using a mathematical model for atmospheric transport, predictions are made of the atmospheric fine particulate fossil carbon and contemporary carbon concentrations expected due to primary source emissions. Model predictions are in reasonable agreement with the measured radiocarbon content of the fine ambient aerosol samples. It is concluded that the high fraction of contemporary carbon measured historically in Los Angeles is not due to local emission sources of biogenic material; rather, it is due to a combination of local anthropogenic pollution sources and background marine aerosol advected into the city

Sources of Urban Contemporary Carbon Aerosol

Emissions from the major sources of fine carbonaceous aerosol in the Los Angeles basin atmosphere have been analyzed to determine the amounts of the ^(12)C and ^(14)C isotopes present. From these measurements, an inventory of the fossil carbon and contemporary carbon particle emissions to the Los Angeles atmosphere has been created. In the winter, more than half of the fine primary carbonaceous aerosol emissions are from sources containing contemporary carbon, including fireplaces, charbroilers, paved road dust, cigarette smoke, and brake lining dust, while in the summer at least one-third of the carbonaceous particle emissions are contemporary. Using a mathematical model for atmospheric transport, predictions are made of the atmospheric fine particulate fossil carbon and contemporary carbon concentrations expected due to primary source emissions. Model predictions are in reasonable agreement with the measured radiocarbon content of the fine ambient aerosol samples. It is concluded that the high fraction of contemporary carbon measured historically in Los Angeles is not due to local emission sources of biogenic material; rather, it is due to a combination of local anthropogenic pollution sources and background marine aerosol advected into the city

The Pursuit of Isotopic and Molecular Fire Tracers in the Polar Atmosphere and Cryosphere

From the 16th International Radiocarbon Conference held in Gronigen, Netherlands, June 16-20, 1997.We present an overview of recent multidisciplinary, multi-institutional efforts to identify and date major sources of combustion aerosol in the current and paleoatmospheres. The work was stimulated, in part, by an atmospheric particle "sample of opportunity" collected at Summit, Greenland in August 1994, that bore the 14C imprint of biomass burning. During the summer field seasons of 1995 and 1996, we collected air filter, surface snow and snowpit samples to investigate chemical and isotopic evidence of combustion particles that had been transported from distant fires. Among the chemical tracers employed for source identification are organic acids, potassium and ammonium ions, and elemental and organic components of carbonaceous particles. Ion chromatography, performed by members of the Climate Change Research Center (University of New Hampshire), has been especially valuable in indicating periods at Summit that were likely to have been affected by the long range transport of biomass burning aerosol. Univariate and multivariate patterns of the ion concentrations in the snow and ice pinpointed surface and snowpit samples for the direct analysis of particulate (soot) carbon and carbon isotopes. The research at NIST is focusing on graphitic and polycyclic aromatic carbon, which serve as almost certain indicators of fire, and measurements of carbon isotopes, especially 14C, to distinguish fossil and biomass combustion sources. Complementing the chemical and isotopic record, are direct "visual" (satellite imagery) records and less direct backtrajectory records, to indicate geographic source regions and transport paths. In this paper we illustrate the unique way in which the synthesis of the chemical, isotopic, satellite and trajectory data enhances our ability to develop the recent history of the formation and transport of soot deposited in the polar snow and ice.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

14C Measurements of Sub-Milligram Carbon Samples from Aerosols

From the 16th International Radiocarbon Conference held in Gronigen, Netherlands, June 16-20, 1997.Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the milligram level is routinely performed, but it is difficult to go substantially below 100 micrograms of carbon. We discuss various approaches for sample preparation, machine operation and data evaluation, to meet the special requirements of 14C AMS measurements at the microgram-carbon level. Furthermore, we present first results obtained at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) from 14C measurements of a snow sample from Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, prepared at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

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From the 16th International Radiocarbon Conference held in Gronigen, Netherlands, June 16-20, 1997.Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the milligram level is routinely performed, but it is difficult to go substantially below 100 micrograms of carbon. We discuss various approaches for sample preparation, machine operation and data evaluation, to meet the special requirements of 14C AMS measurements at the microgram-carbon level. Furthermore, we present first results obtained at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) from 14C measurements of a snow sample from Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, prepared at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202