Details - The iron atom as mass unit in meteorites, tektites, and igneous rocks

The iron atom as mass unit in meteorites, tektites, and igneous rocks

Title

The iron atom as mass unit in meteorites, tektites, and igneous rocks

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 2216

By

Wiik, H. B. (Hugo Birger)

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, N.Y, American Museum of Natural History, [1965]

Notes

Title from caption.

"March 24, 1965."

"It is shown that in most meteorites (and even in tektites and igneous rocks) the weight per cent of iron is close to its cation per cent. For example, the total weight per cent of iron in Holbrook is 21.56; the cation per cent of iron in the same stone, as calculated from the analysis, is 21.26. This relationship means that in any piece of Holbrook containing 21 iron atoms- the iron evenly distributed- each iron atom constitutes 1 per cent of the total weight. But if the 21 iron atoms weigh 21 per cent, all the other atoms (the 79 other cations plus oxygen atoms plus sulphur atoms, and so on) weigh 79 per cent- the same as 79 iron atoms. Therefore this whole piece of Holbrook contains the mass of 100 iron atoms. This stoichiometric relationship could be reached in a closed system by a partial splitting into lighter atoms of material consisting mostly of iron. In the case of Holbrook, 79 per cent of the original matter is split up and 21 per cent remains"--P. [1].