The AMS method
Samples should be dry, wrapped in aluminium foil if possible, and put into a plastic bag. Each sample needs to be accompanied by a sample form: print a blank form and fill it out by hand - English (PDF, 102 Kb) or German (PDF, 103 Kb)
or fill it out with the computer - English (PDF, 278 Kb) or German (PDF, 322 Kb) and then print it.
Below is a table of approximate sample sizes (minimum):
Wood, charcoal | 2x2x2 mm | Plant macrofossils, cloth, paper, leather or seeds | 30-40 mg |
Ivory or Teeth | 5x5x5 mm or 1 tooth | Soil or peat | Please contact us |
Bone | about 1 g | Various carbonates | Please contact us |
If in doubt, please contact I. Woodhatch
Conversion of carbon dioxide to graphite "cracking"
Samples are chemically pre-treated and burned in sealed quartz-glass ampoules. The resulting carbon dioxide gas is converted to graphite by the machine shown above. This graphite (around 1 mg) is delivered to the accelerator laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich for measuring.