Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “CHLORINE”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12

Development Towards Stable Chlorine Isotope Measurements of Astromaterials Using the Modified Middleton Source of an Accelerator Mass Spectrometer

The volatile element Cl can be lost during the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, leading to fractionation of its two stable isotopes 35Cl and 37Cl. Chlorine isotope variations (reported as δ37Cl in parts per thousand (‰) relative to Standard Mean Ocean Chloride, SMOC) are documented to exceed 80‰ between different lunar rock samples and have been variably interpreted as the fingerprint of degassing during accretion, magma ocean, or volcanic portions of lunar history. The large intersample and intrasample variations observed by both bulk isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and in-situ secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) methods are difficult to interpret in part because of a paucity of bulk Cl isotope measurements. This lack of high-precision bulk data is due to the relative rarity of IRMS laboratories capable of making these high precision measurements on small samples of precious planetary materials such as those returned by human or robotic exploration. Here we present a new method for performing high precision δ37Cl measurements using the modified Middleton ion source of an existing accelerator mass spectrometer. For samples with as little as 1 μg Cl–the equivalent of 2–4 mm3 of a typical lunar rock sample–the average cathode accuracy is ∼1‰. Cathode reproducibility is typically ∼1‰ (2σ) for samples with at least 10 μg of Cl, increasing to ∼3–6‰ for aliquots with ∼1–2 μg Cl, similar to published SIMS results and sufficient to study astromaterials from the Moon, Mars, or 4 Vesta, which have tens of ‰ observed variations.

Tyler S. Anderson↗

Chlorine Isotopic Compositions of Apatite in Apollo 14 Rocks: Evidence for Widespread Vapor-Phase Metasomatism on the Lunar Nearside ~4 Billion Years Ago

Compared to most other planetary materials in the Solar System, some lunar rocks display high delta (sup 37) Cl signatures. Loss of Cl in a H<<Cl environment has been invoked to explain the heavy signatures observed in lunar samples, either during volcanic eruptions onto the lunar surface or during large scale degassing of the lunar magma ocean. To explore the conditions under which Cl isotope fractionation occurred in lunar basaltic melts, five Apollo 14 crystalline samples were selected (14053,19, 14072,13, 14073,9, 14310,171 along with basaltic clast 14321,1482) for in situ analysis of Cl isotopes using secondary ion mass spectrometry. Cl isotopes were measured within the mineral apatite, with delta (sup 37) Cl values ranging from +14.6 ± 1.6 per mille to +40.0 ± 2.9 per mille. These values expand the range previously reported for apatite in lunar rocks, and include some of the heaviest Cl isotope compositions measured in lunar samples to date. The data here do not display a trend between increasing rare earth elements contents and delta (sup 37) Cl values, reported in previous studies. Other processes that can explain the wide inter- and intra-sample variability of delta (sup 37) Cl values are explored. Magmatic degassing is suggested to have potentially played a role in fractionating Cl isotope in these samples. Degassing alone, however, could not create the wide variability in isotopic signatures. Our favored hypothesis, to explain small scale heterogeneity, is late-stage interaction with a volatile-rich gas phase, originating from devolatilization of lunar surface regolith rocks ~4 billion years ago. This period coincides with vapor-induced metasomastism recorded in other lunar samples collected at the Apollo 16 and 17 landing sites, pointing to the possibility of widespread volatile-induced metasomatism on the lunar nearside at that time, potentially attributed to the Imbrium formation event.

apatit↗

Corrosion of aluminum alloys by chlorinated hydrocarbon/methanol mixtures

Laboratory investigations show that water-free mixtures of Freon MF /trichlorofluoromethane/ and methanol vigorously attack aluminum alloys which contain significant amounts of copper. Freon MF alone did not attack the aluminum alloys at room temperature. Pure methanol had only a slight corrosive effect on the alloy.

De Forest, W. S.↗