Improved sample preparation techniques at the Erlangen AMS-facility

Abstract The main application of the Erlangen AMS-facility is 14 C dating of different organic fractions especially of sediment and peat cores. For the preparation of these materials an improved and fast separation of organic and inorganic material is performed by ultra centrifugation in a zinc chloride solution. This technique is also used in the extraction of pollen grains for the removal of carbonates and silicates and modified in the preparation of bone samples. For the combustion of the chemically pretreated samples a NC element analyzer in combination with a stable mass spectrometer is used. First, results of the preparation of graphite samples for the estimation of the preparation background are shown and discussed.