D/H Exchange Reactions in Salts Extracted from LEW 85320

Details D/H Exchange Reactions in Salts Extracted from LEW 85320 D/H Exchange Reactions in Salts Extracted from LEW 85320

Jul 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993metic..28q.440s&link_type=abstract

Meteoritics, vol. 28, no. 3, volume 28, page 440

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Alteration, Antarctic Meteorites, Hydrogen Isotopes, Ice, Water Content

Scientific paper

Understanding the effects of terrestrial weathering on meteorites has been shown to be critical in distinguishing primary chemical and isotopic features from secondary alterations [1]. To further constrain weathering effects we report here the D/H composition of water thermally extracted from three distinct generations of efflorescence (,98, ,99, and ,102) occurring on the Antarctic H-5 chondrite LEW85320. To better understand the hydrogen isotope exchange systematics of these precipitates, an experiment was performed to characterize the rate of isotope exchange between a synthetic analog to the predominant weathering product, nesquehonite (Mg(HCO3)(OH).2H2O), found on the exterior of LEW85320 [2], and water. Synthetic nesquehonite, produced following the procedure of Ming and Franklin [3], a dehydrated CaSO4 standard, and deuterium-spiked water (deltaD = +701 permil SMOW) were placed together in a closed box and allowed to exchange hydrogen isotopes at constant temperature and humidity (30 degrees +- 2 degrees C and 75% +- 5%). Samples of each solid phase were taken initially and at 1, 3, 20, and 30 days. These samples along with three generations of efflorescence on LEW85320 (,98, ,99, and ,102) were weighed and loaded into separate high-purity, prebaked, 9-mm (O.D) quartz tubes. After degassing for two hours under high vacuum, samples were heated to 625 degrees C for 4 hr while all condensable gases were collected in a trap immersed in liquid nitrogen. CO2 was separated from water by exchanging the LN2 trap with a dry ice/alcohol mixture. All evolved water was frozen into a tube containing Zn turnings, which was then heated to 450 degrees C for 30 min, producing hydrogen gas for isotopic analysis. Results of our exchange experiment show that the CaSO4 standard quickly assumes the deltaD composition of the water (from -29 permil to +581 permil in 30 days). On the other hand, nesquehonite becomes only slightly enriched in deltaD (from -29 permil to +51 permil). Mass balance calculations reveal that absorption of the spiked water is stoichiometric with respect to the formation of CaSO4.2H2O, while within limits of sampling error no net change of weight was observed for the nesquehonite. Assuming that the change in deltaDnesq. is due entirely to exchange (i.e., no absorption), mass balance constraints dictate that less than 5 wt% of water exchanged. These data suggest that nesquehonite retains its original deltaD composition even under conditions of relatively high temperature and humidity. Hydrogen isotope data of water extracted from three generations of nesquehonite on LEW85320 are plotted as a function of the theoretical delta18O composition of water in equilibrium with the carbonate at 0 degrees C (where delta18Onesq. is derived by phosphoric acid digestion of the carbonate, assuming a calcite-CO2 fractionation factor of 1.01012). Our data plot very near the meteoric water line indicating formation from slightly enriched Antarctic meltwater. Water extracted from generations II (,99), salts consisting mostly of hydromagnesite (Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2.4H2O) (Gooding, 1993, personal communication), and III (,102), with mineralogy as yet unknown, is enriched in D (deltaD = -55 and -75 permil, respectively) and plot above the meteoric water line. Both generations precipitated in the Houston curatorial facility. Data suggest either that hydrogen isotopes have exchanged at least partially with local (i.e., Houston) water, or that the exchange reactions differ between structural sites within or among the various generations of efflorescent salts. Hydrogen isotopes extracted from hydrous weathering products can reveal information about the environment of crystal growth. However, hydrogen isotope exchange systematics could be complicated if water within the crystal structure of the mineral is located in multiple sites. Furthermore, these results could have profound implications for curation and long-term storage strategies in curatorial facilities. References: [1] Socki R. A. et al., (1991) Meteoritics, 26, 396-397. [2] Gooding J. L. et al., (1988) LPSC XIX, 397-398. [3] Ming D. W. and Franklin W. T. (1985) Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 49, 1303-1308.

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