Sample Submission

PDF Documents for Download

• Sample Submission form (on-line submission form - print a hard copy to include with your samples BEFORE submitting the form)
• Rafter Terms and Conditions.pdf 72.67 kB
• MAFPermit_Radiocarbon_2011-12.pdf (1.04 MB)

1. How to send samples
2. Documentation
3. Sample Types
4. Sample Sizes
5. Reporting Times
6. Price List

1. How to send samples

Send dry samples, where possible. Bacterial activity in wet samples can affect the final ¹⁴C age. Use a low temperature oven which has never been used for radioisotope experiments. Cover samples with lightly perforated foil and heat at a temperature of at least 40°C till dry.

Use courier or registered post. Trackable courier despatch or registered post is recommended and samples are acknowledged on receipt by us. Couriers commonly used include DHL and Federal Express but also consider your postal services as they usually have fixed price postage Priority or Express Mail International tracked envelopes or boxes allowing up to some maximum weight.

Label package: "Samples for Scientific Analysis - no commercial value".

Send samples to:

Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory
GNS Science
National Isotope Centre
30 Gracefield Road, Gracefield
Lower Hutt 5010
New Zealand

Contact phone number for courier packages: +64 4 570 4637

2. Documentation

Sample identification. All samples should be accompanied by the Sample Submission Form with sufficient documentation to identify each individual sample. This would include the nature of the sample material, full name and contact details of the submitter and where applicable additional information for the purposes of invoicing e.g.. Order numbers

Treatment history. Details of any prior treatment of the sample, such as cleaning, drying, treatment with solvents or preservatives, or any repair work should also be supplied. The relevant information can be supplied via our Sample Submission Form, or copy can be emailed or faxed to you on request.

MAF Import Permit IMPORTANT!! Samples sent from outside New Zealand must be accompanied by a copy of the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture Import Permit. Failure to do this may result in your samples being delayed on entry into New Zealand. Do not send your samples without the permit.

• Inclusion of the MAF Import Permit with the sample documentation inside the package and writing the permit number on the outside of the package is all that is required.

Other permits. Materials such as ivory or coral are covered by the CITES Agreement (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). New Zealand is a signatory to the agreement, and sample materials covered by CITES must show an exemption code on the packaging. We can supply you with the appropriate code on request to facilitate the importing of the samples to New Zealand, but you are responsible for arranging the necessary permit to export the sample from the country of origin.

3. Sample Types

Samples can be submitted as:

• Original material for full laboratory processing. Our sample preparation laboratory is experienced in handling a wide range of materials. We can advise you on the suitability of particular types of materials for radiocarbon dating, and we will be happy to discuss with you the most suitable way of taking a sample and packaging it to send to our laboratory.

• Prepared samples ready for combustion. For some types of samples, submitters who have access to chemical laboratories may wish to carry out their own pretreatment procedures and submit the samples to the radiocarbon laboratory ready for combution. Samples submitted as “pre-prepared” incur lower costs, but the client must acknowledge that we are not responsible for any contamination introduced into the sample due to laboratory procedures outside our control. For this reason, we request anyone planning to submit pre-prepared samples to contact the laboratory in advance so we may review the planned sample preparation procedure for any possible sources of ¹⁴C contamination.

• Clean CO₂ gas sent in break-seal tubes. We can accept 6mm and 9mm outer diameter sealed pyrex or quartz tubes between 16 and 20cm in length. The preferred amount of CO₂ is approximately 2mg of Carbon or 4mls of CO₂ at STP. For alternate tube sizes up to 15mm outer diameter please contact us. Some ideas for packaging for shipping include placing wrapped tubes inside rigid plastic tubing e.g., polythene piping. Taping the tubes to bubble wrap at regular intervals and rolling into a cylinder is another option. This can then be placed into a solid cardboard mailing tube or a rigid cardboard box.

• Graphite, ready for pressing into cathodes or already pressed in SNIC-MS cathodes for insertion into the AMS wheel. We can advise on the best way of sending the graphite or cathode. Generally, it is advisable to send some test samples first, to ensure that your graphite will give a satisfactory output in our ion source.

4. Sample Sizes

Ideally, samples should yield 1mg of carbon after processing, and the corresponding amounts of sample material are typically as follows:

Peats and Sediments - The carbon content of peats and sediments can vary greatly. 90 mg of a peat which has a 10% organic carbon content would yield sufficient material for dating, while a sediment which is only 0.1% organic carbon might require almost 9 grams. If you are unsure of the carbon content of your sample, please contact the laboratory before submitting so we may discuss size and treatment procedures.

Significantly smaller quantities than those indicated can be measured, but the precision of the results may suffer as a consequence. Please contact us for advice.

Information on sampling of groundwaters is available here

5. Reporting Times

Results are usually reported eight weeks after receipt of samples (for full processing) and include:

• δ¹³C, measured by stable isotope mass spectrometry (see note at foot of Sample Processing page)
• Conventional radiocarbon age, absolute per-cent modern and Δ¹⁴C, based on the NIST oxalic acid standard (as defined by Stuiver and Polach 1977)
• Where applicable, calibrated ages based on published international calibration data sets

Reporting time may be longer if batches of more than ten samples are submitted or if the nature of the material is such that special processing methods are required.

Express 3-week and intermediate 6 week turn-around services at higher cost are available on request, subject to laboratory workloads.

The total error reported for radiocarbon ages includes counting statistics and instrumental error. For ages less than 10,000 years the error is typically ± 30 years. The demands of a particular study may require an event be timed more precisely than this. In such a situation, an enhanced precision service offering reduced error may be available. Please contact us for details.