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American biochemists Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon, which is now used extensively as the basis of the radiocarbon dating method to date archaeological and geological samples.

Martin Kamen

American chemist (1913–2002)

Martin David Kamen was an American chemist who, together with Sam Ruben, co-discovered the synthesis of the isotope carbon-14 on February 27, 1940, at the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley. He also confirmed that all of the oxygen released in photosynthesis…
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Sam Ruben

American chemist (1913–1943)

Samuel Ruben was an American chemist who with Martin Kamen co-discovered the synthesis of the isotope carbon-14 in 1940.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Carbon-14

Radiosotope of carbon

Carbon-14, C-14, 14C 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…
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Radionuclide

Atom that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable

A radionuclide is a nuclide that is unstable and known to undergo radioactive decay into a different nuclide, which may be another radionuclide or be stable. Radiation emitted by radionuclides is almost always ionizing radiation because it is energetic enough to liberate an…
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Radiocarbon dating

Method of determining the age of objects

Radiocarbon dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)