Mass-independent oxygen isotopic partitioning during gas-phase SiO2 formation.

Chakraborty, Subrata; Yanchulova, Petia; Thiemens, Mark H · Science · 2013

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Meteorites contain a wide range of oxygen isotopic compositions that are interpreted as heterogeneity in solar nebula. The anomalous oxygen isotopic compositions of refractory mineral phases may reflect a chemical fractionation process in the nebula, but there are no experiments to demonstrate this isotope effect during particle formation through gas-phase reactions. We report experimental results of gas-to-particle conversion during oxidation of silicon monoxide that define a mass-independent line (slope one) in oxygen three-isotope space of (18)O/(16)O versus (17)O/(16)O. This mass-independent chemical reaction is a potentially initiating step in nebular meteorite formation, which would be capable of producing silicate reservoirs with anomalous oxygen isotopic compositions.