Primordial Xenon in Allende Sulfides

Physics

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Chondrites, Cv, Isotopic Anomalies, Meteorites, Allende, Nucleosynthesis, Planetary Rare Gases, Sulfides, Xenon

Scientific paper

The Allende C3V carbonaceous chondrite incorporated isotopically anomalous components of several medium-heavy elements (Z=36-62) from nucleosynthesis [1]. Isotopically distinct Xe (Z=54) has been found in grains ranging from several _ to a few mm in size. Diamond [2] is the host of Xe that is enriched in isotopes produced by the very rapid p- and r-processes in a supernova explosion [3]. Silicon carbide [4] is the host of Xe that is enriched in the middle isotopes, 128-132Xe, produced by slow neutron capture [3] before a star reaches the supernova stage. The present study was undertaken to identify the isotopic composition of primitive Xe initially trapped in sulfides of the Allende meteorite. Two FeS mineral separates were analyzed by stepwise heating. One sample was first irradiated in a neutron flux to generate a tracer isotope, 131*Xe, by the 130Te(n, gamma beta-)131*Xe reaction. The release pattern of this tracer isotope, 131*Xe, closely paralleled the release of primordial 132Xe up to 950 degrees C, when the sulfide melted and released the bulk of its trapped Xe (Figure 1). The Xe released from both samples at 950 deg C was terrestrial in isotopic composition, except for enrichments from spallogenic and radiogenic components (Figure 2). From the results of this and earlier analyses of Xe in meteoritic FeS [5, 6, 7], we conclude that terrestrial-type Xe was dominant in the central region of the protoplanetary nebula, and it remains a major component in the FeS of diverse meteorites and in the terrestrial planets that are rich in Fe, S [8]. References: [1] Begemann F. (1993) Origin and Evolution of the Elements (N. Prantzos et al., eds.), 518-527, Cambridge Univ. [2] Lewis R. S. and Anders E. (1988) LPS XIX, 679-680. [3] Burbidge et al. (1957) Rev. Modern Phys., 29, 547-650. [4] Tang M. and Anders E. (1988) GCA, 52, 1235-1244. [5] Niemeyer S. (1979) GCA, 43, 843-860. [6] Lewis et al. (1979) GCA, 43, 1743-1752. [7] Hwaung G. and Manuel O. K. (1982) Nature, 299, 807-810. [8] Becker R. H. and Pepin R. O. (1984) EPSL, 69, 225-242. Figure 1. Release patterns of pile-produced 131*Xe and trapped 132Xe from the irradiated sulfide sample. Figure 2. A comparison of atmospheric and AVCC Xe with that released from the unirradiated sample (Figure 2a) and irradiated sample (Figure 2b) at 950 degrees C.

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