

HOW TO CONVERT BIOLOGICAL CARBON INTO GRAPHITE FOR AMS
Abstract
Isotope tracer studies, particularly radiocarbon measurements, play a key role in biological, nutritional, and
environmental research. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is now the most sensitive detection method for 14C, but AMS
is not widely used in kinetic studies of humans. Part of the reason is the expense, but costs would decrease if AMS were used
more widely. One component in the cost is sample preparation for AMS. Biological and environmental samples are commonly
reduced to graphite before they are analyzed by AMS. Improvements and mechanization of this multistep procedure
is slowed by a lack of organized educational materials for AMS sample preparation that would allow new investigators to
work with the technique without a substantial outlay of time and effort. We present a detailed sample preparation protocol for
graphitizing biological samples for AMS and include examples of nutrition studies that have used this procedure.
environmental research. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is now the most sensitive detection method for 14C, but AMS
is not widely used in kinetic studies of humans. Part of the reason is the expense, but costs would decrease if AMS were used
more widely. One component in the cost is sample preparation for AMS. Biological and environmental samples are commonly
reduced to graphite before they are analyzed by AMS. Improvements and mechanization of this multistep procedure
is slowed by a lack of organized educational materials for AMS sample preparation that would allow new investigators to
work with the technique without a substantial outlay of time and effort. We present a detailed sample preparation protocol for
graphitizing biological samples for AMS and include examples of nutrition studies that have used this procedure.