Radiocarbon dating samples Radiocarbon dating samples Samples used for radiocarbon dating must be handled carefully to avoid contamination. Not all material can be dated by this method; only samples containing organic matter can be tested: the date found will be the date of death of the plants or animals from which the sample originally came. Samples for dating need to be converted into a form suitable for measuring the content; this can mean conversion to gaseous, liquid, or solid form, depending on the measurement technique to be used. Before this can be done, however, the sample must be treated to remove any contamination
Pertechnetate is found in a Meckel's diverticulum with Meckel's scans. All technetium salts are mildy radioactive, but some of them have explored use of the element for its chemical properties. In these uses, its radioactivity is incidental, and generally the least radioactive (longest-lived) isotopes of Tc are used. In particular, Tc (half-life 211,000 years) is used in corrosion research, because it is the decay product of the easily obtained commercial Tc isotope, which is its nuclear isomer. In theory, the longest-lived technetium isotope, Tc (half-life 4.2 million years), would be the optimal isotope for this use. Solutions of technetate(VII) react with