scholarly journals Variation of lead isotopic composition and atomic weight in terrestrial materials (IUPAC Technical Report)

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-37
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 30-30

Abstract Following the recent publication of the IUPAC Technical Report on the variation of lead isotopic composition and atomic weight in terrestrial materials [1], the IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW) is recommending changes to the standard atomic weight (i.e. relative atomic mass) of lead:


2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Possolo ◽  
Adriaan M. H. van der Veen ◽  
Juris Meija ◽  
D. Brynn Hibbert

AbstractIn 2009, the Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) introduced the interval notation to express the standard atomic weights of elements whose isotopic composition varies significantly in nature. However, it has become apparent that additional guidance would be helpful on how representative values should be derived from these intervals, and on how the associated uncertainty should be characterized and propagated to cognate quantities, such as relative molecular masses. The assignment of suitable probability distributions to the atomic weight intervals is consistent with the CIAAW’s goal of emphasizing the variability of the atomic weight values in nature. These distributions, however, are not intended to reflect the natural variability of the abundances of the different isotopes in the earth’s crust or in any other environment. Rather, they convey states of knowledge about the elemental composition of “normal” materials generally, or about specific classes of such materials. In the absence of detailed knowledge about the isotopic composition of a material, or when such details may safely be ignored, the probability distribution assigned to the standard atomic weight intervals may be taken as rectangular (or, uniform). This modeling choice is a reasonable and convenient default choice when a representative value of the atomic weight, and associated uncertainty, are needed in calculations involving atomic and relative molecular masses. When information about the provenance of the material, or other information about the isotopic composition needs to be taken into account, then this distribution may be non-uniform. We present several examples of how the probability distribution of an atomic weight or relative molecular mass may be characterized, and also how it may be used to evaluate the associated uncertainty.


2003 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1107-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Loss

The biennial review of atomic-weight, Ar(E), determinations and other cognate data have resulted in changes for the standard atomic weights of the following elements:  FromToZinc65.39 ± 0.0265.409 ± 0.004Krypton83.80 ± 0.0183.798 ± 0.002Molybdenum95.94 ± 0.01 95.94 ± 0.02Dysprosium162.50 ± 0.03162.500 ± 0.001 Presented are updated tables of the standard atomic weights and their uncertainties estimated by combining experimental uncertainties and terrestrial variabilities. In addition, this report again contains an updated table of relative atomicmass values and half-lives of selected radioisotopes. Changes in the evaluated isotope abundance values from those published in 1997 are relatively minor and will be published in a major review of each element in 2003. Many elements have a different isotopic composition in some nonterrestrial materials. Some recent data on parent nuclides that might affect isotope abundances or atomic-weight values are included in this report for the information of the interested scientific community.


2001 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler B. Coplen

The biennial review of atomic-weight, Ar(E), determinations and other cognate data have resulted in changes for the standard atomic weights of the following elements: elementFromTonitrogen14.006 74 ± 0.000 0714.0067 ± 0.0002 sulfur32.066 ± 0.00632.065 ± 0.005 chlorine35.4527 ± 0.000935.453 ± 0.002germanium72.61 ± 0.0272.64 ± 0.01 xenon131.29 ± 0.02131.293 ± 0.006 erbium167.26 ± 0.03167.259 ± 0.003 uranium238.0289 ± 0.0001238.028 91 ± 0.000 03 Presented are updated tables of the standard atomic weights and their uncertainties estimated by combining experimental uncertainties and terrestrial variabilities. In addition, this report again contains an updated table of relative atomic-mass values and half-lives of selected radioisotopes. Changes in the evaluated isotopic abundance values from those published in 1997 are so minor that an updated list will not be published for the year 1999.Many elements have a different isotopic composition in some nonterrestrial materials. Some recent data on parent nuclides that might affect isotopic abundances or atomic-weight values are included in this report for the information of the interested scientific community.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Kun Zhu ◽  
Jacqueline Benefield ◽  
Tyler B. Coplen ◽  
Zhaofu Gao ◽  
Norman E. Holden

AbstractThe isotopic composition and atomic weight of lead are variable in terrestrial materials because its three heaviest stable isotopes are stable end-products of the radioactive decay of uranium (238U to 206Pb; 235U to 207Pb) and thorium (232Th to 208Pb). The lightest stable isotope, 204Pb, is primordial. These variations in isotope ratios and atomic weights provide useful information in many areas of science, including geochronology, archaeology, environmental studies, and forensic science. While elemental lead can serve as an abundant and homogeneous isotopic reference, deviations from the isotope ratios in other lead occurrences limit the accuracy with which a standard atomic weight can be given for lead. In a comprehensive review of several hundred publications and analyses of more than 8000 samples, published isotope data indicate that the lowest reported lead atomic weight of a normal terrestrial materials is 206.1462 ± 0.0028 (k = 2), determined for a growth of the phosphate mineral monazite around a garnet relic from an Archean high-grade metamorphic terrain in north-western Scotland, which contains mostly 206Pb and almost no 204Pb. The highest published lead atomic weight is 207.9351 ± 0.0005 (k = 2) for monazite from a micro-inclusion in a garnet relic, also from a high-grade metamorphic terrain in north-western Scotland, which contains almost pure radiogenic 208Pb. When expressed as an interval, the lead atomic weight is [206.14, 207.94]. It is proposed that a value of 207.2 be adopted for the single lead atomic-weight value for education, commerce, and industry, corresponding to previously published conventional atomic-weight values.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriaan M. H. van der Veen ◽  
Juris Meija ◽  
Antonio Possolo ◽  
David Brynn Hibbert

Abstract Many calculations for science or trade require the evaluation and propagation of measurement uncertainty. Although relative atomic masses (standard atomic weights) of elements in normal terrestrial materials and chemicals are widely used in science, the uncertainties associated with these values are not well understood. In this technical report, guidelines for the use of standard atomic weights are given. This use involves the derivation of a value and a standard uncertainty from a standard atomic weight, which is explained in accordance with the requirements of the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. Both the use of standard atomic weights with the law of propagation of uncertainty and the Monte Carlo method are described. Furthermore, methods are provided for calculating uncertainties of relative molecular masses of substances and their mixtures. Methods are also outlined to compute material-specific atomic weights whose associated uncertainty may be smaller than the uncertainty associated with the standard atomic weights.


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