Which radioactive isotope has a half-life of 5770 years, which is commonly used to estimate the age of organic materials such as paper and parchment?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. 14C.
The radioactive isotope Carbon-14 (¹⁴C), with a half-life of 5770 years, is commonly used to estimate the age of organic materials, such as paper, parchment, wood, and other archaeological artifacts. This method, known as radiocarbon dating, is based on the fact that living organisms continuously exchange carbon with their environment, incorporating both stable Carbon-12 (¹²C) and radioactive Carbon-14 into their tissues.
When the organism dies, it stops absorbing carbon, and the ¹⁴C in its tissues begins to decay at a known rate, with a half-life of 5770 years. By measuring the remaining amount of ¹⁴C in a sample and comparing it to the original levels of ¹²C, scientists can determine how long it has been since the organism's death, thus estimating the age of the material.
Radiocarbon dating has become an invaluable tool in archaeology, paleontology, and geology for dating ancient organic materials.