Enrichment of the relative ¹⁴C concentration in samples by up to 100 has been achieved. A scheme in which 100-500 milligrams archaeological samples can be enriched by factors of 100-300 by the selective photolysis of CH₂O by a narrow band tunable UV laser is described. This has consequences for a number of approaches to carbon dating in which small samples can be measured. For example, in the recently developed Van de Graaff methods, the ultimate age limit should be able to be extended by a further 40,000 years, perhaps to beyond 100,000 years. Work on the Tandem Van de Graaff, in collaboration with the Nuclear Physics Department at Oxford, is described where ¹⁴C abundance from natural samples can be detected with negligible background back to 50,000 years. The significance of these experiments is that acceleration voltages as low as 2.5 MV can be successfully used, so that a purpose-built Tandem, dedicated for carbon dating, is feasible. Plans for such a machine at Oxford are described.