KJM5911 Lab Exercise 5 - Liquid Scintillation Counting

Learning Goals

• Understand the theory behind Liquid Scintillation detection.
• Understand how the detection equipment in Liquid Scintillation works.

Theory

• Introduction to Liquid Scintillation
• LSC Principles
• Interfering Processes

Experimental procedure

We are going to use a modern liquid-scintillation counter (LSC) with three PM-tubes. This enables it to use the Triple-to-Doubble-Coincidence-Ratio (TDCR) parameter for quench correction. We will both use the traditional channel-ratio method and the TDCR method to investigate quenching in LSC samples. For this we will use 14C samples quenched with CCl.

Part 1: Initial tests

• Measure 3T and 14C standards to get familiar with the machine (HIDEX 300) (2 min each).
• Measure an empty vial with 10 mL scintillator (and nothing else) inside (10 min or more).
• Measure an empty vial without scintillator solution (10 min or more).

Equipment

• HIDEX 300 Automatic TDCR Liquid Scintillation Counter