Determination of chlorine in stony meteorites by neutron activation analysis

Abstract

The chlorine content of stony meteorites was measured by 38Cl produced by neutron activation. Nine hypersthene chondrites showed chlorine abundances from 27 to 266 ppm with a mean of 114 ppm; two enstatite chondrites contained 222 and 500 ppm, a Soko-Banja type chondrite 57 ppm, and a bronzite chondrite 97 ppm Cl; 2 and 5 ppm Cl were measured in two samples of the enstatite chondrite Norton County. Hot water leaches applied to the irradiated samples, showed for most of the samples that the leachable chlorine was in the order of a few per cent of the chlorine content of the meteorite. An exception of this result was found in the case of the hypersthene chondrite Dhurmsala where about 80 per cent of the chlorine was leachable.