Racemization Reaction of Aspartic Acid and Its Use in Dating Fossil Bones

In the time interval datable by radiocarbon, and at the temperatures of most archeological sites, a substantial amount of racemization of aspartic acid takes place. By determination of the amount of racemization of aspartic acid in bones from a particular location which have been dated by the radiocarbon technique, it is possible to calculate the in situ first-order rate constant for interconversion of the L- and D enantiomers of aspartic acid. Once this "calibration" has been calculated, the reaction can be used to date other bones from the deposit that are either too old to be dated by radiocarbon or that are too small for radiocarbon dating. The only assumption required with this approach is that the average temperature experienced by the "calibration" sample is representative of the average temperature experienced by older samples. This "calibration" technique is used herein to date bones from the Olduvai Gorge area in Tanzania, Africa.