Collected Papers; Volume I, Tritium and Radiocarbon
Santa Monica, CA: Geo Science Analytical, Inc., 1981. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Various paginations (640 pages per bibliographic reference). Footnotes. Figures. Tables. References. Ex-Los Alamos National Laboratory with usual library markings. Back cover tear. This collection of W. F. Libby's papers contains all those on Radiocarbon and Tritium Dating and Tracing. The papers are introduced briefly by either a collaborator or the editors. After the war, Libby accepted an offer from the University of Chicago of a professorship in the Chemistry Department at the new Institute for Nuclear Studies. He returned to his studies of radioactivity. In 1939, Serge Korff had discovered that cosmic rays generated neutrons in the upper atmosphere. These interact with nitrogen-14 in the air to produce carbon-14: 1n + 14N 14C + 1p. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730±40 years. Libby realized that when plants and animals die they cease to ingest fresh carbon-14, thereby giving any organic compound a built-in nuclear clock. He published his theory in 1946 and expanded on it in his monograph Radiocarbon Dating in 1955. He also developed sensitive radiation detectors that could use the technique. Tests against sequoia with known dates from their tree rings showed radiocarbon dating to be reliable and accurate. The technique revolutionized archaeology, paleontology and other disciplines that dealt with ancient artifacts. In 1960, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeology, geology, geophysics, and other branches of science". He also discovered that tritium similarly could be used for dating water, and therefore wine. More