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Amino acid racemization and its relation to geochronology and archaeometry
Author(s) -
Bravenec Ardith D.,
Ward Karen D.,
Ward Timothy J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.201701506
Subject(s) - racemization , geochronology , archaeological science , enantiomer , confusion , chemistry , chromatography , geology , organic chemistry , paleontology , psychology , psychoanalysis
Abstract Amino acid racemization, used as a method of relative and quantitative dating of fossils, evaluates the degree of postmortem conversion of l to d amino acid enantiomers. While extensively utilized, this method has garnered confusion due to controversial age estimates for human fossils in North America in the 1970s. This paper explains the age controversy and aftermath, current chromatographic methods used in research, mathematical calibration models, and a short synopsis of other dating techniques in geochronology and archaeometry.