T02_P15

Novel sample preparation approach to investigate

¹⁴C from iron material

Baráth B¹,  Jull A¹, Molnar M¹

¹INTERACT Laboratory, Debrecen, Hungary

In this study, we present a novel approach for ¹⁴C analyses of iron material. Artefacts made from wrought iron, could  incorporate some C content from the applied heating material (charcoal, wood), which deliver a measurable ¹⁴C content into the iron. This C and ¹⁴C might allow the ¹⁴C based dating of the production of the iron tool. Neutron flux could also produce significant amount of ¹⁴C atoms inside the iron based construction elements (vessel wall, tubes, etc) of nuclear reactors. 

For all the above listed applications, we need a good sample preparation method, to extract the C from the iron. As the typical concentration is maximum a few percent C in the iron (m/m%), a complete combustion/oxidation of 0.1 - 1 g iron for this purpose is necessary. We present an elegant way of this preparation, using a LECO C744 type iron – C analyser. The exhaust gas of this automatized oxidizer is applied for trapping the produced CO2, for further isotope analyses. About 1g of iron is completely oxidized within 1 minute by the C744 unit, and the exhaust gas is collected. C yield, and reproducibility of this preparation method is investigated by AMS ¹⁴C analyses of known age iron artefacts, and several ¹⁴C reference materials.

This method could play an important role, when nuclear power plants are decommissioned and significant amount of iron waste has to be classified according their ¹⁴C isotope content.