Low-energy biomedical GC–AMS system for 14C and 3H detection

Abstract

The use of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in biomedical research will require the development of cost-effective, laboratory-sized AMS systems that can be used in conjunction with gas and liquid phase separation techniques. This paper describes a prototype GC–AMS system designed for the detection of 14C and 3H in organic samples. The entire AMS system including the injector, ion source, tandem accelerator, and high-energy analyzer is approximately 3.5 m wide, 1.5 m high and 1 m deep. Also described are methods for converting gas chromatograph (GC) effluent to gaseous CO 2 for 14C-labeled compounds. A gas-fed cesium (Cs) sputter ion source converts the CO 2 into C − for injection into the AMS accelerator, allowing on-line analysis of 14C-labeled biological samples with AMS.