Kamen was interested in the isotopes of the light elements that were of particular interest to biochemists, such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. In 1940, he isolated carbon-14, which turned out to have a half life of 5,700 years. It quickly became and has remained the most useful of all isotopes in biochemical research, and has been used to date artifacts in historical and archeological studies. Kamen also worked with oxygen-18, a stable but rare isotope connected with photosynthesis.
PhD, U. of Chicago, 1936. Became naturalized American citizen in 1938.
Sources: Asimov's Biographical Encyc. of Sci. and Tech.
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