The radiocarbon dating laboratory was set up during 1972 and 1973 with financial support of the FKFO (Fonds voor Kollektief Fundamenteel Onderzoek) Belgium, to enable us to place Upper Pleistocene and Holocene sediments in their correct stratigraphic position. Dating of samples began in the middle of 1974.

The analytical facilities at Glasgow have been extended to include gas proportional (CO2 and CH4) and liquid scintillation (C6H6) counting laboratories. The results presented here were obtained during 1972-1974 using the CO2 gas counting system only. In brief, organic samples, after pretreatment as described in the text, are burned in a tube combustion unit and the evolved CO2 absorbed in KOH solution. BaCO3 is precipitated and acid-hydrolyzed in vacuo using H3PO4. Evolved CO2 is purified via adsorption/desorption on CaO and is stored prior to counting. The 2.6L proportional counter is surrounded by a gas-flow Geiger anticoincidence guard and 10cm thick Pb shielding to reduce background count rates to ca 4.9 cpm at 1 atm filling and barometric pressures. A barometric sensitivity in background of −0.01cpm/mbar is observed. Constant gas gain is ensured by monitoring the coincidence meson spectrum and normalizing the detector operating voltage. All sample activities are related to the NBS oxalic acid standard count rate which averages 14.71 cpm at 1 atm filling pressure and 15°C. Mass spectrometric assay of CO2 after counting is performed on a VG Micromass 602B instrument to a precision of 0.05% (±1σ). Since uncertainties quoted on all results represent 1σ counting errors alone, they are related to precision of measurement rather than accuracy. The bulk of data quoted here are connected with a long-term study of the medical aspects of artificial 14C from nuclear weapon tests. These results should therefore be assessed in conjunction with those pub previously (Harkness and Walton, 1972; Farmer et al, 1972).

This date list includes samples dated from 1968 through 1972. The method of analysis is described in R, 1968, v 10, p 246 and 1970, v 12, p 87. The ages are calculated with the 5568 year half-life without application of any corrections. The NBS oxalic acid standard is used as the modern reference. Errors (± 1 σ) include standard deviations for sample counts, background and modern standard.

This list contains radiocarbon dates of archaeologic samples of wood, charcoal, and peat measured between 1967 and 1973, analyzed by the Laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology, Leningrad Branch, USSR Academy of Sciences. The samples measured include charcoal from cultural strata and hearths, wood from kurgans and cultural strata, peat, etc, coll from various archaeologic sites by Soviet scientists, as well as a series from Dashly site, Afghanistan.

In January 1975 a radiocarbon dating laboratory was established at the Marine Resources Research Institute for geochemical and geologic studies. A liquid scintillation system is employed according to the method of Noakes, Kim, and Akers (1967). A Searle (Nuclear Chicago) Isocap 300 liquid scintillation counter is currently being used for counting. This system is a duplicate of the one formerly used at Texas A & M University except for the counter (Mathews et al, 1972)

The radiocarbon dating laboratory of Queens College, CUNY, was established with the joint support of the Research Foundation of the City University of New York and the departments of Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, and Earth and Environmental Sciences of Queens College. The laboratory has been operational since June, 1975 and is located in the basement of a two-story concrete and brick building.

The following radiocarbon measurements are a partial list of projects and samples dated since the Spring of 1975. The technique used is liquid scintillation counting of wholly synthesized benzene as indicated in R, v 16, p 402-408. The intermediate chemical step of converting CO2 to Li2C2 has been modified so that the CO2 is reacted with the lithium metal at a temperature of 950° to 1000°C instead of the 600°C as formerly done (Tamers, 1975). This modification has had the effect of reducing occasional variable losses in conversion yields in this step, and reducing the reaction time required from 30 min to 10 min for a typical ¼ mole sample. Dates are calculated using a 14C half-life of 5568 yr and errors are reported as one standard deviation. No other correction factors are applied.

The dates reported in this list are for geologic and archaeologic samples only. During the interval since our last date list (R, 1966, v 8, p 498-506) most of our measurements have been on samples of sea water. These will be reported separately at a later time. The methods used are essentially those reported previously (R, 1963, v 5, p 80-81) but with the following notable changes and additions: We now prepare our methane counting gas as described in Buddemeier et al (1970). Our IL membrane counter has since been augmented by 3 additional counters. Two of these are IL quartz proportional counters inside geiger anticoincidence shields. Operating pressures are ca 1.5 to 4atm. Backgrounds of these 2 counters are in the neighborhood of 1.8 and 3cpm and the net counting rate of NBS oxalic acid ranges from 7 to 18.7cpm, depending on the pressure. The third counter (“minicounter”) is rather special: .IL quartz proportional counter inside a methane proportional anticoincidence counter. Sample and anticoincidence counting gases are introduced simultaneously with a differential pressure that never exceeds a few cm Hg. The sample filling side is constructed so as to minimize dead volume; over 80% of the sample gas is inside the active volume of the 14C counter. The range of filling pressures which are possible is ca 1 to 4atm.

Measurements have continued with the same proportional counter system, pretreatment procedure, methane preparation and measurement, and calculation, as described previously (R, 1970, v 12, p 298-318). Uncertainties quoted are single standard deviations originating from standard, sample, background counting rates and half-life. No 13C/12C ratios were measured.