RESUMEN
Methods for the precise, routine measurement of Ir in seawater, riverwater, and estuarine water using isotope dilution negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-NTIMS) have been developed. After equilibration with a (191)Ir-enriched spike, Ir is separated from solution by coprecipitation with ferric hydroxide, followed by anion exchange chromatography using a reductive elution technique. UV irradiation is employed for the decomposition of trace organics, which interfere with negative ion production. IrO(2)(-) ions are produced in the mass spectrometer by heating the sample on a Ni-wire filament in the presence of Ba(OH)(2). Detection efficiencies ranged from 0.1% to 0.3%. We have used these procedures to determine the concentrations of Ir in 4 kg samples from the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, and the rivers supplying the Baltic. Our chemical procedures introduce a total blank of â¼2 × 10(8) atoms per sample. The distribution of Ir in the oceans is fairly uniform, averaging â¼4 × 10(8) atoms kg(-)(1). The concentrations in the rivers supplying the Baltic Sea range from (17.4 ± 0.9) × 10(8) for a pristine river to (92.9 ± 2.2) × 10(8) atoms kg(-)(1) for a polluted river. The distribution, speciation, and transport of Ir in natural waters can now be subjected to intensive study.
RESUMEN
The magnesium isotopic composition of some extraterrestrial dust particles has been measured. The particles are believed to be samples of interplanetary dust, a significant fraction of which originated from the disaggregation of comets and may contain preserved isotopic anomalies. Improvements in mass spectrometric and sample preparation techniques have made it possible to measure the magnesium isotopic composition of the dust particles, which are typically 10 micrometers in size and contain on the order of 10(-10) gram of magnesium. Of the 13 samples analyzed, nine have the terrestrial magnesium isotopic composition within 2 parts per thousand, and one shows isotopic mass fractionation of 1.1 percent per mass unit. A subset of the particles, described as chondritic aggregates, are very close to normal isotopic composition, but their normalized isotopic ratios appear to show nonlinear effects of 3 to 4 parts per thousand, which is near the present limit of detection for samples of this size. The isotopic composition of calcium was also determined in one particle and found to be normal within 2 percent. It is clear that the isotopic composition of interplanetary dust particles can be determined with good precision. Collection of dust particles during the earth's passage through a comet tail or an intense meteor stream may permit laboratory analysis of material from a known comet.
RESUMEN
The (87)Rb-(87)Sr internal isochrons for five rocks yield an age of 3.65 +/-0.05 x 10(9) years which presumably dates the formation of the Sea of Tranquillity. Potassium-argon ages are consistent with this result. The soil has a model age of 4.5 x10(9) years, which is best regarded as the time of initial differentiation of the lunar crust. A peculiar rock fragment from the soil gave a model age of 4.44 x 10(9) years. Relative abundances of alkalis do not suggest differential volatilization. The irradiation history of lunar rocks is inferred from isotopic measurements of gadolinium, vanadium, and cosmogenic rare gases. Spallation xenon spectra exhibit a high and variable (131)Xe/(126)Xe ratio. No evidence for (129)I was found. The isotopic composition of solar-wind xenon is distinct from that of the atmosphere and of the average for carbonaceous chondrites, but the krypton composition appears similar to average carbonaceous chondrite krypton.