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Experimental studies of magnetite formation in the solar nebula
Author(s) -
HONG Y.,
FEGLEY B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1998.tb01715.x
Subject(s) - magnetite , metal , non blocking i/o , electron microprobe , reaction rate constant , oxide , analytical chemistry (journal) , diffusion , materials science , chemistry , kinetics , mineralogy , metallurgy , thermodynamics , catalysis , biochemistry , physics , chromatography , quantum mechanics
— Oxidation of Fe metal and Gibeon meteorite metal to magnetite via the net reaction 3 Fe (metal) + 4 H 2 O (gas) = Fe 3 O 4 (magnetite) + 4 H 2 (gas) was experimentally studied at ambient atmospheric pressure at 91–442 °C in H 2 and H 2 ‐He gas mixtures with H 2 /H 2 O molar ratios of ∼4–41. The magnetite produced was identified by x‐ray diffraction. Electron microprobe analyses showed 3.3 wt% NiO and 0.24 wt% CoO (presumably as NiFe 2 O 4 and CoFe 2 O 4 ) in magnetite formed from Gibeon metal. The NiO and CoO concentrations are higher than expected from equilibrium between metal and oxide under the experimental conditions. Elevated NiO contents in magnetite were also observed by metallurgists during initial stages of oxidation of Fe‐Ni alloys. The rate constants for magnetite formation were calculated from the weight gain data using a constant surface area model and the Jander, Ginstling‐Brounshtein, and Valensi‐Carter models for powder reactions. Magnetite formation followed parabolic ( i.e. , diffusion‐controlled) kinetics. The rate constants and apparent activation energies for Fe metal and Gibeon metal are: These rate constants are significantly smaller than the parabolic rate constants for FeS growth on Fe metal in H 2 S‐H 2 gas mixtures containing 1000 or 10 000 ppmv H 2 S (Lauretta et al. , 1996a). The experimental data for Fe and Gibeon metal are used to model the reaction time of Fe alloy grains in the solar nebula as a function of grain size and temperature. The reaction times for 0.1–1 μm radius metal grains are generally within estimated lifetimes of the solar nebula (0.1–10 Ma). However, the calculated reaction times are probably lower limits, and further study of magnetite formation at larger H 2 /H 2 O ratios, at lower temperatures and pressures, and as a function of metal alloy composition is needed for further modeling of nebular magnetite formation.