A Compendium of Geochemistry

by Li, Yuan-Hui

• ISBN13: 9780691009384
• ISBN10: 0691009384
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-10-02
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

An ever-increasing concern over environmental degradation, together with recent technological advances, has spawned an explosion of chemical data for a wide variety of matter found on earth and in the solar system. Yuan-Hui Li's book offers professionals and students alike an indispensable up-to-date guide to geochemistry, bringing together new information on topics ranging from nucleosynthesis to crystal chemistry, from the systematics of chemical variation in the earth's core to the composition of complex organics. The objective is to illustrate the physicochemical principles and various natural processes that can explain observed compositional changes in natural substances. A general understanding of these principles and processes (including those pertaining to cosmology, geology, and biology) is essential, maintains the author, for deciphering and predicting transport pathways and final sinks of anthropogenic pollutants in our environment. The book focuses on compositional data and related references for such substances as solar photosphere, meteorites, igneous rocks, soils, sedimentary rocks, surficial waters, marine and terrestrial organisms (including humans), and aerosols. It emphasizes the use of original raw data as much as possible, and applies the statistical technique of factor analysis to elucidate any underlying interrelationships among chemical elements and given sample sets. Whenever applicable, simple chemical thermodynamic models are introduced to explain the observed partitioning of elements among different phases.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Atoms, Nuclei, and Energy	3	(52)
Introduction	3	(1)
Periodic Table of the Elements and Electron Configurations of Atoms	3	(10)
Atomic Nuclei and Nuclear Binding Energies	13	(6)
Cohesive Energies among the Atoms of Pure Metals and Nonmetals	19	(4)
Ionization Energies and Electron Affinities of Gaseous Atoms and Ions	23	(5)
Ionic Radii and Ionic Potentials	28	(7)
Electric Polarizability	35	(4)
Electronegativity	39	(5)
Crystal Lattice Energies	44	(4)
Hydrolysis of Cations and Dissociation of Oxyacids	48	(4)
Solubility Products and Affinity of Aqueous Cations to Oxides	52	(1)
Concluding Remarks	53	(2)
The Solar Nebula and Nucleosynthesis	55	(28)
Introduction	55	(1)
Elemental and Isotopic Compositions of the Solar Nebula	55	(8)
Cosmological Nucleosynthesis	63	(5)
Stellar Nucleosynthesis	68	(14)
Concluding Remarks	82	(1)
Structure and Chemistry of the Solar System	83	(36)
Introduction	83	(1)
Motion of Interplanetary Objects	83	(3)
Asteroids and Comets	86	(13)
Planets, Their Satellites, and Their Rings	99	(8)
Condensation of Solid Dusts from the Solar Nebular Gas	107	(12)
Distribution of Elements in Meteorites	119	(70)
Introduction	119	(1)
Classification of Meteorites	119	(10)
Oxygen Isotopes and Possible Genetic Relationships among Subclasses of Meteorites	129	(4)
Bulk Compositions of Chondrites and Factor Analysis	133	(11)
Cosmochemical Classification of Elements	144	(10)
Matrices and Chondrules of Chondrites	154	(13)
Ca-Al-Rich Inclusions in Chondrites	167	(12)
Igneous Differentiation in Achondrites and Iron Meteorites	179	(9)
Concluding Remarks	188	(1)
Igneous Rocks and the Composition of the Earth	189	(64)
Introduction	189	(1)
Classification Scheme for Igneous Rocks	189	(4)
Earth's Structure and Mineral Composition	193	(4)
Partial Melting and Fractional Crystallization Models of Igneous Rocks	197	(12)
Deduction of the Primitive Upper Mantle Composition	209	(6)
Partition of the Elements between Mantle and Core	215	(6)
Continental and Oceanic Crusts	221	(10)
Relationship between the Compositions of Mantle and Crust	231	(3)
Isotopic Heterogeneity of the Mantle	234	(8)
Case Studies of Elemental Association in Igneous Rocks	242	(7)
Concluding Remarks	249	(4)
Weathering and Sedimentary Rocks	253	(50)
Introduction	253	(1)
Weathering of Igneous Rocks	254	(6)
Dissolved Products of Chemical Weathering	260	(4)
Major Classes of Sedimentary Rocks	264	(4)
Relative Abundances of Major Sedimentary Rock Types and Mass Balance	268	(5)
Shales and Related Materials	273	(10)
Trace Elements in Sandstone and Limestone	283	(5)
Iron Formations	288	(8)
Partition of Elements between River-Suspended Particles and River Water, and the Adsorption Model	296	(6)
Concluding Remarks	302	(1)
Distribution of Elements in the Ocean	303	(52)
Introduction	303	(1)
Concentrations of Elements in the Oceans	303	(9)
Chemical Speciation of Elements in the Ocean	312	(5)
Marine Algae and Plankton	317	(8)
Zooplankton Fecal Pellets and Sediment Trap Material	325	(4)
Marine Sediments	329	(12)
Marine Manganese Nodules and Seamount Manganese Crusts	341	(6)
Marine Phosphorite	347	(1)
Hydrothermal Vents of the Mid-Ocean Ridges	348	(4)
Concluding Remarks	352	(3)
Biosphere and Homo Sapiens	355	(58)
Introduction	355	(1)
Are all Creatures Created Equal?	355	(11)
Human Body	366	(10)
Coals, Crude Oils, and Organic-Rich Shales	376	(11)
Relative Volatility of Elements and Compositions of Aerosol Particles	387	(18)
Effects of Fossil Fuel Burning on the Chemistry of Rain and River Waters: A Case Study	405	(6)
Concluding Remarks	411	(2)
APPENDIX Rayleigh Condensation and Evaporation Models	413	(16)
Appendix Table A-1 Ionization Energies	415	(3)
Appendix Table A-2 Abundance of the Nuclides	418	(6)
Appendix Table A-3 Minerals in Meteorites	424	(2)
Appendix Table A-4 Minerals in Igneous Rocks	426	(3)
References	429	(36)
Index	465