  The effect of Carbon isotope substitution on T_c in the intermetallic
perovskite superconductor MgCNi_3 is reported. Four independent groups of
samples were synthesized and characterized. The average T_c for the Carbon-12
samples was found to be 7.12(2) K and the average T_c for the Carbon-13 samples
was found to be 6.82(2) K. The resulting carbon isotope effect coefficient is
alfa_C = 0.54(3). This indicates that carbon-based phonons play a critical role
in the presence of superconductivity in this compound.
