HPLC purification of higher plant-dervied lignin phenols for compound specific radiocarbon analysis.

The ability to measure the radiocarbon content of compounds isolated from complex mixtures has begun to revolutionize our understanding of carbon transformations on earth. Because samples are often small, each new compound isolation method must be tested for background carbon contamination (C(ex)). Here, we present a new method for compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) of higher plant-derived lignin phenols.