carbon-14
UK[ˌkɑːbən ˈfɔːtiːn]US[ˌkɑːrbən ˈfɔːrtiːn]
n
A radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic mass of 14, used in radiocarbon dating.
Morpheme Breakdown
carbon
14
carbon
element
14
mass number
Etymology
The term is a modern scientific compound, formed in the 20th century following the discovery of isotopes. The first element, 'carbon', traces its name to the Latin carbo, meaning 'coal' or 'charcoal', reflecting the element's ancient association with burning organic material. The hyphenated numeral '14' is a straightforward identifier specifying the atomic mass of this radioactive isotope, a convention established in nuclear chemistry. Thus, 'carbon-14' literally names the fourteenth-mass isotope of carbon, whose radioactive decay properties unlocked the revolutionary technique of radiocarbon dating for archaeology and geology.
Analysis
Structure: carbon (element) + 14 (mass number)
- carbon: From Latin carbo (coal, charcoal), via French carbone. In this compound, it denotes the chemical element.
- 14: A numeral representing the mass number (protons + neutrons) of this specific isotope, distinguishing it from other carbon isotopes like carbon-12 or carbon-13.
Examples
The age of the ancient wooden tool was determined using carbon-14 dating.
Carbon-14 is continuously formed in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays interact with nitrogen atoms.
The ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a sample reveals how long ago an organism died.