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The main ones are using c14. Radiocarbon dating gives acurate dating of historic and prehistoric organic materials. Also, c14 is used to "tag" carbon compounds to track how different sources of carbon are used in molecular Biology/biochemistry.

Additionally, c3 and c4 plants (this difference is in the regulation of photosynthesis) take in carbon isotopes at different rates. A c4 plant (like corn) will use c13 as readily as c12. However, c3 plants will not use c13 as readily as c12. This means that the ratio of c12 to c13 is different in c3 plants then in c4 plants. More importantly, the ratios are kept through tropic levels: when an animal uses carbon from a c4 plant, the ratio of c12 to c13 will be the same as in the plant. The use: we (humans in general) can analyze the ratio of c12 to c13 in animals, showing if they consume mostly c3 or c4 plants. This means that we can track carbon through a food chain or see if an historic tribe consumed more land based food (more likely c4) or sea food (completely c3). The studies that show that people from the US are 90% corn? Corn is the most common c4 food/carbon source today, and this type of study finds that people in the US have a c12 to c13 ratio that corresponds to 90% of our food to be derived from c4 plants.

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Related Questions

Carbon 12 and carbon 14 are called what of carbon?

Isotopes.


What is the name of carbon isotopes?

The stable carbon isotopes are carbon-12 & carbon-13. There are several other unstable isotopes.


Are Coal Charcoal Diamond Florine is isotopes of Carbon?

Coal, charcoal, and diamond are not isotopes of carbon; they are forms of carbon but are not considered isotopes. Fluorine is a different element and not related to carbon. Isotopes of carbon include carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14.


What are the applications of carbon isotopes?

The best known application is called carbon dating. Because of the influx of cosmic rays, the atmosphere contains a continually replenished supply of carbon 14. This isotope radioactively decays over a period of thousands of years. It is therefore possible to measure the carbon 14 content of objects and determine their age, up to a certain point, when the carbon 14 content has fallen to zero.


What do all carbon isotopes have in common?

All carbon isotopes have the same number of neutrons.


What do Carbon isotopes have in common?

All carbon isotopes have the same number of neutrons.


Are carbon and nitrogen isotopes of each other?

Carbon and nitrogen isotopes are not isotopes of each other. They are different elements with their own set of isotopes. Carbon isotopes include carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14, while nitrogen isotopes include nitrogen-14 and nitrogen-15.


2 isotopes of carbon?

Yes Carbon 12, Carbon 13 and Carbon 14 are isotopes of carbon. Diamond and graphite are allotropes.


How many isotopes does the carbon group have?

it has 3 stable isotopes


What is the importance of 2 different naturally occurring isotopes?

Having two different naturally occurring isotopes of an element provides diversity in their properties. This allows for a wider range of applications, such as different forms of carbon being used in dating techniques (carbon-12 and carbon-14). Additionally, the presence of multiple isotopes can provide valuable information about the origin and history of a material.


Example of isotopes?

One example of isotopes is carbon-12 (12C) and carbon-14 (14C). These isotopes have the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons. Carbon-12 is stable and commonly found in nature, while carbon-14 is radioactive and used for carbon dating.


What are three isotopes and isobars of carbon?

isotopes of carbon are atomic no. 6 mass 12 , atomic no.6 mass 13 , atomic no. 6 mass 14