As a result, carbon-14 is continuously formed in the upper atmosphere by the interaction of cosmic rays with atmospheric nitrogen. These neutrons produced in these collisions can be absorbed by nitrogen-14 to produce an isotope of carbon-14:Ĭarbon-14 can also be produced in the atmosphere by other neutron reactions, including in particular 13C(n,γ)14C and 17O(n,α)14C. These cosmic rays interact with nuclei in the atmosphere, and produce also high-energy neutrons. Besides, the atmosphere is constantly bombarded with high energy cosmic rays, consisting of protons, heavier nuclei, or gamma rays. Our atmosphere contains many gases, including nitrogen-14. Its presence can be explained by the following simple observation. In spite of this short half-life compared to the age of the earth, carbon-14 is a naturally occurring isotope. Radioactive carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years and undergoes β− decay, where the neutron is converted into a proton, an electron, and an electron antineutrino: Beta decay of C-14 nucleus. The only cosmogenic radionuclide to make a significant contribution to internal exposure of human is carbon-14.
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