Fort Rock Cave in Oregon is the site where archaeologists discovered several Indian sandals, the oldest ever found in Oregon. Analysis of the 14C content of the sagebrush used to make the sandals gave an average decay rate of 5.1 disintegrations per minute (dpm) per gram of carbon. The current 14C/12C ratio in living organisms is 1.3 × 10−12, with a decay rate of 15 dpm/g C. How long ago was the sagebrush in the sandals cut? The half-life of 14C is 5730 yr.
Given: radioisotope, current 14C/12C ratio, initial decay rate, final decay rate, and half-life
Asked for: age
Strategy:
A Use Equation 14.30 to calculate N0/N, the ratio of the number of atoms of 14C originally present in the sample to the number of atoms now present.
B Substitute the value for the half-life of 14C into Equation 14.28 to obtain the rate constant for the reaction.
C Substitute the calculated values for N0/N and the rate constant into Equation 14.32 to obtain the elapsed time t.
Solution:
We can use the integrated rate law for a first-order nuclear reaction (Equation 14.32) to calculate the amount of time that has passed since the sagebrush was cut to make the sandals:
ln NN0=−kt
A From Equation 14.30, we know that A = kN. We can therefore use the initial and final activities (A0 = 15 and A = 5.1) to calculate N0/N:
A0A=kN0kN=N0N=155.1
B Now we can calculate the rate constant k from the half-life of the reaction (5730 yr) using Equation 14.28:
t1/2=0.693k
Rearranging this equation to solve for k,
k=0.693t1/2=0.6935730 yr=1.21×10−4yr−1
C Substituting the calculated values into the equation for t,
t=ln(N0/N)k=ln(15/5.1)1.21×10−4 yr −1=8900 yr
Thus the sagebrush in the sandals is about 8900 yr old.
Exercise
While trying to find a suitable way to protect his own burial chamber, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Sneferu developed the pyramid, a burial structure that protected desert graves from thieves and exposure to wind. Analysis of the 14C content of several items in pyramids built during his reign gave an average decay rate of 8.6 dpm/g C. When were the objects in the chamber created?
Answer: about 4600 yr ago, or about 2600 BC