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.

Feb 20, 2025 · carbon-14, the longest-lived radioactive isotope of carbon, whose decay allows the accurate dating of archaeological artifacts. The carbon-14 nucleus has six protons and eight neutrons, for an atomic mass of 14. The isotope also is used as a tracer in following the course of particular carbon atoms through chemical or biological transformations.

Mar 13, 2025 · Carbon-14 dating, method of age determination that depends upon the decay to nitrogen of radiocarbon (carbon-14). Carbon-14 is continually formed in nature by the interaction of neutrons with nitrogen-14 in the Earth’s atmosphere. Learn more about carbon-14 dating in …

Carbon-14 is a commonly used radionuclide with a half-life of 5,730 years, emitting only beta particles with a maximum energy of 0.156 MeV (Million Electron Volts) and an average energy of 0.049 MeV. The beta particles from C-14 travel a maximum of 22 cm.

Carbon-14 is a radioisotope of the chemical element carbon, which has 8 neutrons in its atomic nucleus in addition to the element-specific 6 protons; the sum of the number of these atomic nucleus building blocks results in a mass number of 14.

Carbon C-14 is an unstable isotope of carbon created when a neutron collides with a nitrogen atom, causing capture of the neutron and release of the proton converting nitrogen to a carbon with fourteen nucleons (6 protons and 8 neutrons). Carbon-14 emits beta particles as it decays and reverts back to nitrogen.

Radiocarbon dating, or carbon-14 dating, is a scientific method that can accurately determine the age of organic materials as old as approximately 60,000 years. First developed in the late 1940s at the University of Chicago by Willard Libby, the technique is …

Radiocarbon dating is a method that provides objective age estimates for carbon-based materials that originated from living organisms. An age could be estimated by measuring the amount of carbon-14 present in the sample and comparing this …

The decay of a carbon-14 atom inside DNA in one person happens about 50 times per second, changing a carbon atom to one of nitrogen. The annual dose from carbon-14 is estimated to be about 12 μSv/year .

Jan 10, 2021 · Radioactive Dating Using Carbon-14. The radioactivity of carbon-14 provides a method for dating objects that were a part of a living organism.