2002 Volume 36 Issue 4 Pages 149-159
A method of compound specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) has recently been developed. This method includes isolation of individual compounds by preparative capillary gas chromatography, preparation of graphite target for individual compounds, and 14C measurement by accelerator mass spectrometry. Since the first report by Eglinton et al. (1996), this CSRA method has been applied to various geochemical and environmental samples. In this paper, we review the principle and procedures of the new technique and the recent results obtained by the application of CSRA method to geochemical samples. We also discuss the significance and future perspectives of CSRA method in the fields of geochemical and environmental studies. So far, the CSRA method has been applied to marine sediments, oils, soils and atmospheric aerosols. Based on the CSRA studies, different geochemical processes have been discussed including an origin of individual organic compounds, the way microbes use the substrates in sediments, and a longrange atmospheric transport of aged organic compounds from source regions. Although the reports associated with CSRA are still very limited, we suggest that this method would become more important in the future geochemical and environmental studies.
