DEVELOPMENT OF GRAPHITIZATION OF mu g-SIZED SAMPLES AT LUND UNIVERSITY

To be able to successfully measure radiocarbon with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in atmospheric aerosol samples, graphitization of small sample sizes (<50 mu g carbon) must provide reproducible results. At Lund University, a graphitization line optimized for small samples has been constructed. Attention has been given to minimize the reduction reactor volume and each reactor is equipped with a very small pressure transducer that enables constant monitoring of the reaction. Samples as small as 25 mu g of carbon have been successfully analyzed, and the mass detection limit of the system has probably not been reached.