Selective Leaching of Shells for ¹⁴C Dating

<jats:p>Although acid leaching of shell carbonates prior to <jats:sup>14</jats:sup>C assay is usually desirable, under some circumstances it can worsen contamination by preferentially dissolving unaltered shell and thus increasing the proportion of secondary carbonate. The risk can be eliminated by monitoring the progress of leaching with the help of microscopy and x-ray diffraction.</jats:p>