carbon isotopes
Element's mass variations
Carbon isotopes are variants of carbon atoms that differ in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.
All carbon has six protons, but carbon-12 has six neutrons, carbon-13 has seven, and carbon-14 has eight.
Carbon-14 is radioactive and decays at a known rate, making it useful for dating organic materials: Carbon isotope analysis revealed the artifact was 3,000 years old.
- boneHard skeletal tissue
- sampleSubset for study
- fossil fuelsCombustible prehistoric organic deposits
- peat bogsAcidic wetlands accumulating organic matter
- radiocarbon datingDetermining age via isotope decay
tree rings · mass spectrometry · fractionation · radioactive decay · paleoclimatology · organic matter · dendrochronology · geochronology · half-life · atomic mass · atomic number · beta decay · age · tracer · dinosaur · sediment · dating · ancient