scholarly journals Oxygen and magnesium mass-independent isotopic fractionation induced by chemical reactions in plasma

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (52) ◽  
pp. e2114221118
Author(s):  
François Robert ◽  
Marc Chaussidon ◽  
Adriana Gonzalez-Cano ◽  
Smail Mostefaoui
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotope Effects ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Chem Phys ◽  
Mass Independent Fractionation ◽  
Protosolar Nebula ◽  
Micrometer Size ◽  
Linear Correlations ◽  
Isotopic Effects

Enrichment or depletion ranging from −40 to +100% in the major isotopes 16O and 24Mg were observed experimentally in solids condensed from carbonaceous plasma composed of CO2/MgCl2/Pentanol or N2O/Pentanol for O and MgCl2/Pentanol for Mg. In NanoSims imaging, isotope effects appear as micrometer-size hotspots embedded in a carbonaceous matrix showing no isotope fractionation. For Mg, these hotspots are localized in carbonaceous grains, which show positive and negative isotopic effects so that the whole grain has a standard isotope composition. For O, no specific structure was observed at hotspot locations. These results suggest that MIF (mass-independent fractionation) effects can be induced by chemical reactions taking place in plasma. The close agreement between the slopes of the linear correlations observed between δ25Mg versus δ26Mg and between δ17O versus δ18O and the slopes calculated using the empirical MIF factor η discovered in ozone [M. H. Thiemens, J. E. Heidenreich, III. Science 219, 1073–1075; C. Janssen, J. Guenther, K. Mauersberger, D. Krankowsky. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 3, 4718–4721] attests to the ubiquity of this process. Although the chemical reactants used in the present experiments cannot be directly transposed to the protosolar nebula, a similar MIF mechanism is proposed for oxygen isotopes: at high temperature, at the surface of grains, a mass-independent isotope exchange could have taken place between condensing oxides and oxygen atoms originated form the dissociation of CO or H2O gas.

New Evidence for Symmetry Dependent Isotope Effects: O+CO Reaction

1989 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Bhattacharya ◽  
M. H. Thiemens
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Exchange ◽  
Isotope Effects ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Large Mass ◽  
Reaction Rates ◽  
Kinetic Evaluation ◽  
Mass Independent Fractionation ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Activated Complex ◽  
Fractionation Mechanism

The isotopic fractionation associated with the O + CO reaction has been studied using oxygen atoms produced by room temperature O2 photolysis at two different wavelengths, 185 and 130 nm. A large mass-independent isotopic fractionation is observed in the product CO2, extending the range of this type of reaction beyond O + O2 and SF5 + SF5. Kinetic evaluation of the data restricts the source of the mass-independent fractionation mechanism to the O + CO recombination step rather than O2 photolysis, secondary ozone formation, or O2 photodissociation. At least one, and most likely two other fractionation processes appear to occur in the experiments, and interpretation of the isotopic results is tentative at present. Based on the relevant reaction rates and the value for the reduced partition function for isotopic exchange between O and CO, it is suggested that this process may occur prior to the δ17O≅δ18O recombination process. Secondary CO2 photolysis may superimpose an additional fractionation. The experimental data are also examined in the context of a model based upon energy randomization rates versus the lifetime of the activated complex.

scholarly journals Insights into the origin of carbonaceous chondrite organics from their triple oxygen isotope composition

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (34) ◽  
pp. 8535-8540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Tartèse ◽  
Marc Chaussidon ◽  
Andrey Gurenko ◽  
Frédéric Delarue ◽  
François Robert
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Carbonaceous Chondrite ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Composition ◽  
Insoluble Organic Matter ◽  
O Isotope ◽  
Protosolar Nebula ◽  
Mass Dependent

Dust grains of organic matter were the main reservoir of C and N in the forming Solar System and are thus considered to be an essential ingredient for the emergence of life. However, the physical environment and the chemical mechanisms at the origin of these organic grains are still highly debated. In this study, we report high-precision triple oxygen isotope composition for insoluble organic matter isolated from three emblematic carbonaceous chondrites, Orgueil, Murchison, and Cold Bokkeveld. These results suggest that the O isotope composition of carbonaceous chondrite insoluble organic matter falls on a slope 1 correlation line in the triple oxygen isotope diagram. The lack of detectable mass-dependent O isotopic fractionation, indicated by the slope 1 line, suggests that the bulk of carbonaceous chondrite organics did not form on asteroidal parent bodies during low-temperature hydrothermal events. On the other hand, these O isotope data, together with the H and N isotope characteristics of insoluble organic matter, may indicate that parent bodies of different carbonaceous chondrite types largely accreted organics formed locally in the protosolar nebula, possibly by photochemical dissociation of C-rich precursors.

scholarly journals Nitrogen isotope effects can be used to diagnose N transformations in wastewater anammox systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Magyar ◽  
Damian Hausherr ◽  
Robert Niederdorfer ◽  
Nicolas Stöcklin ◽  
Jing Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Effect ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotope Effects ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Anammox Bacteria ◽  
Ammonium Oxidation ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
N Transformations ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Inverse Isotope Effect

AbstractAnaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) plays an important role in aquatic systems as a sink of bioavailable nitrogen (N), and in engineered processes by removing ammonium from wastewater. The isotope effects anammox imparts in the N isotope signatures (15N/14N) of ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate can be used to estimate its role in environmental settings, to describe physiological and ecological variations in the anammox process, and possibly to optimize anammox-based wastewater treatment. We measured the stable N-isotope composition of ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate in wastewater cultivations of anammox bacteria. We find that the N isotope enrichment factor 15ε for the reduction of nitrite to N2 is consistent across all experimental conditions (13.5‰ ± 3.7‰), suggesting it reflects the composition of the anammox bacteria community. Values of 15ε for the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate (inverse isotope effect, − 16 to − 43‰) and for the reduction of ammonium to N2 (normal isotope effect, 19–32‰) are more variable, and likely controlled by experimental conditions. We argue that the variations in the isotope effects can be tied to the metabolism and physiology of anammox bacteria, and that the broad range of isotope effects observed for anammox introduces complications for analyzing N-isotope mass balances in natural systems.

Untersuchung von Calciumisotopieeffekten bei heterogenen Austauschgleichgewichten / Investigation of Isotopic Effects of Calcium in Heterogeneous Exchange Equilibria

1972 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Gustav Heumann ◽  
Karl Heinrich Lieser
Keyword(s):  
Separation Factor ◽  
Calcium Concentration ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Ion Source ◽  
Isotopic Effect ◽  
Mass Unit ◽  
Calcium Isotopes ◽  
Heterogeneous Exchange ◽  
Loaded Column ◽  
Isotopic Effects

The following heterogeneous exchange equilibria have been examined for isotopic effects: CaCO3/Ca(aq.)2⊕. Ca-GBHA/Ca(aq.)2⊕ and Ca(Dowex 50)2⊕/Ca(aq.)2⊕ (GBHA = glyoxal-bis (2-hydroxyanil)). The isotopic ratios 44Ca/40Ca and 48Ca/40Ca were determined by means of a mass spectrometer with a thermal ion source. In the system CaCO3/Ca(aq.)2⊕, the elementary separation factor was found to be less than 1‰ or 0,5‰ per mass unit, respectively.For the exchange in the system Ca-GBHA/Ca(aq.)2⊕ in the concentration range from 0.011 to 0.84 M an elementary separation factor less than 1‰ per mass unit was found; from a three-stage experiment at a calcium concentration of 1.23 M it was concluded that the elementary isotopic effect is less than 0.4‰ per mass unit. Therefore no isotopic fractionation is to be expected for precipitation of inorganic or organic calcium salts.An enrichment of the heavier calcium isotopes in the solution was found in the case of the exchange in a Dowex 50-X12 loaded column. The isotopic effect depends on the concentration of the hydrochloric acid used as the eluent.

scholarly journals Microbial Isotopic Fractionation of Perchlorate Chlorine

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 4997-5000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max L. Coleman ◽  
Magali Ader ◽  
Swades Chaudhuri ◽  
John D. Coates
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Microbial Respiration ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Stable Isotope Composition ◽  
Biotic Degradation ◽  
Chlorine Stable Isotope

ABSTRACT Perchlorate contamination can be microbially respired to innocuous chloride and thus can be treated effectively. However, monitoring a bioremediative strategy is often difficult due to the complexities of environmental samples. Here we demonstrate that microbial respiration of perchlorate results in a significant fractionation (∼−15‰) of the chlorine stable isotope composition of perchlorate. This can be used to quantify the extent of biotic degradation and to separate biotic from abiotic attenuation of this contaminant.

scholarly journals Seasonal variations in nitrate isotope composition of three rivers draining into the North Sea

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 6051-6088 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Deek ◽  
K. Emeis ◽  
U. Struck
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Isotope Effects ◽  
Nitrate Sources ◽  
Particulate Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Nitrification ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Δ 15N

Abstract. Nitrate loading of coastal ecosystems by rivers that drain industrialised catchments continues to be a problem in the South Eastern North Sea, in spite of significant mitigation efforts over the last 2 decades. To identify nitrate sources, sinks, and turnover in three German rivers that discharge into the German Bight, we determined δ 15N-NO3- and δ18O- NO3- in nitrate and δ 15N of particulate nitrogen for the period 2006–2009 (biweekly samples). The nitrate loads of Rhine, Weser and Ems varied seasonally in magnitude and δ 15N-NO3- (6.5–21‰), whereas the δ 18O-NO3- (-0.3–5.9‰) and δ 15N-PN (4–14‰) were less variable. Overall temporal patterns in nitrate mass fluxes and isotopic composition suggest that a combination of nitrate delivery from nitrification of soil ammonia in the catchment and assimilation of nitrate in the rivers control the isotopic composition of nitrate. Nitrification in soils as a source is indicated by low δ 18O-NO3- in winter, which traces the δ 18O of river water. Mean values of δ 18O-H2O were between –9.4‰ and –7.3‰; combined in a ratio of 2:1 with the atmospheric oxygen δ 18O of 23.5‰ agrees with the found δ 18O of nitrate in the rivers. Parallel variations of δ 15N-NO3- and δ 18O-NO3- within each individual river are caused by isotope effects associated with nitrate assimilation in the water column, the extent of which is determined by residence time in the river. Assimilation is furthermore to some extent mirrored both by the δ 15N of nitrate and particulate N. Although δ 15-NO3- observed in Rhine, Weser and Ems are reflected in high average δ 15N-PN (between 6‰ and 9‰, both are uncorrelated in the time series due to lateral and temporal mixing of PN. That a larger enrichment was consistently seen in δ 15N-NO3- relative to δ 18O-NO3- is attributed to constant additional diffuse nitrate inputs deriving from soil nitrification in the catchment area. A statistically significant inverse correlation exists between increasing δ 15N-NO3- values and decreasing NO3- concentrations. This inverse relationship – observed in each seasonal cycle – together with a robust relationship between human dominated land use and δ 15N-NO3- values demonstrates a strong influence of human activities and riverine nitrate consumption efficiency on the isotopic composition of riverine nitrate.

scholarly journals Planetary fertility during the past 400 ka based on the triple isotope composition of O<sub>2</sub> in trapped gases from the Vostok ice core

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1509-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Blunier ◽  
M. L. Bender ◽  
B. Barnett ◽  
J. C. von Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Exchange ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Fractionation Process ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Mass Independent Fractionation ◽  
Oxygen Cycle ◽  
Steady State Model ◽  
O2 Production

Abstract. The productivity of the biosphere leaves its imprint on the isotopic composition of atmospheric oxygen. Ultimately, atmospheric oxygen, through photosynthesis, originates from seawater. Fractionations during the passage from seawater to atmospheric O2 and during respiration affect δ17O approximately half as much as δ18O. An "anomalous" (also termed mass independent) fractionation process changes δ17O about 1.7 times as much as δ18O during isotope exchange between O2 and CO2 in the stratosphere. The relative rates of biological O2 production and stratospheric processing determine the relationship between δ17O and δ18O of O2 in the atmosphere. Variations of this relationship thus allow us to estimate changes in the rate of O2 production by photosynthesis versus the rate of O2–CO2 isotope exchange in the stratosphere. However, the analysis of the 17O anomaly is complicated because each hydrological and biological process fractionates δ17O and δ18O in slightly different proportions. In this study we present O2 isotope data covering the last 400 ka (thousand years) from the Vostok ice core. We reconstruct oxygen productivities from the triple isotope composition of atmospheric oxygen with a box model. Our steady state model for the oxygen cycle takes into account fractionation during photosynthesis and respiration by the land and ocean biosphere, fractionation during the hydrologic cycle, and fractionation when oxygen passes through the stratosphere. We consider changes of fractionation factors linked to climate variations, taking into account the span of estimates of the main factors affecting our calculations. We find that ocean oxygen productivity was within 20% of the modern value throughout the last 400 ka. Given the presumed reduction in terrestrial oxygen productivity, the total oxygen production during glacials was likely reduced.

scholarly journals Searching for signatures of life on Mars: an Fe-isotope perspective

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1474) ◽  
pp. 1715-1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Anand ◽  
S.S Russell ◽  
R.L Blackhurst ◽  
M.M Grady
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Form Of Life ◽  
Geological Past ◽  
Martian Meteorites ◽  
Fe Reduction

Recent spacecraft and lander missions to Mars have reinforced previous interpretations that Mars was a wet and warm planet in the geological past. The role of liquid water in shaping many of the surface features on Mars has long been recognized. Since the presence of liquid water is essential for survival of life, conditions on early Mars might have been more favourable for the emergence and evolution of life. Until a sample return mission to Mars, one of the ways of studying the past environmental conditions on Mars is through chemical and isotopic studies of Martian meteorites. Over 35 individual meteorite samples, believed to have originated on Mars, are now available for lab-based studies. Fe is a key element that is present in both primary and secondary minerals in the Martian meteorites. Fe-isotope ratios can be fractionated by low-temperature processes which includes biological activity. Experimental investigations of Fe reduction and oxidation by bacteria have produced large fractionation in Fe-isotope ratios. Hence, it is considered likely that if there is/were any form of life present on Mars then it might be possible to detect its signature by Fe-isotope studies of Martian meteorites. In the present study, we have analysed a number of Martian meteorites for their bulk-Fe-isotope composition. In addition, a set of terrestrial analogue material has also been analysed to compare the results and draw inferences. So far, our studies have not found any measurable Fe-isotopic fractionation in bulk Martian meteorites that can be ascribed to any low-temperature process operative on Mars.

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