Liquid-vapor fractionation of boron and boron isotopes: Experimental calibration at 400°C/23 MPa to 450°C/42 MPa

Abstract

We experimentally determined the boron partitioning and boron isotope fractionation between coexisting liquid and vapor in the system H 2O−NaCl−B 2O 3. Experiments were performed along the 400 and 450°C isotherms. Pressure conditions ranged from 23 to 28 MPa at 400°C and from 38 to 42 MPa at 450°C. Boron partitions preferentially into the liquid. Its overall liquid-vapor fractionation is, however, weak: Calculated boron distribution coefficients D B liquid-vapor are < 2.5 at all run conditions. With decreasing pressure (i.e. increasing opening of the solvus) D B liquid-vapor increases along the individual isotherms. Extrapolation to salt saturated conditions yields maximum boron liquid-vapor fractionations of D B liquid-vapor = 1.8 at 450°C and D B liquid-vapor = 2.7 at 400°C. 11B preferentially fractionates into the vapor. Calculated Δ 11B vapor-liquid = {[( 11B/ 10B) vapor – ( 11B/ 10B) liquid]/( 11B/ 10B) NBS 951}*1000 are small and range from 0.2 (± 0.7) to 0.9 (± 0.5) ‰ at 450°C and from 0.1 (± 0.6) to 0.7 (± 0.6) ‰ at 400°C. The data indicate increasing isotopic fractionation with decreasing pressure (i.e. increasing opening of the solvus). Extrapolation to salt saturated conditions yields maximum boron isotope liquid-vapor fractionations of Δ 11B vapor-liquid = 1.5 (± 0.7) ‰ at 450°C and Δ 11B vapor-liquid = 1.3 (± 0.6) ‰ at 400°C. The weak boron isotope fractionation suggests similar trigonal speciation in liquid and vapor. Although the boron and boron isotope fractionation between liquid and vapor is only weak, mass balance calculations indicate that for high degrees of fractionation liquid-vapor phase separation in an open system can significantly alter the boron and boron isotope signature of low-salinity hydrous fluids in hydrothermal systems. Comparing the model calculations with natural oceanic hydrothermal fluids, however, indicate that other processes than fluid phase separation dominate the boron geochemistry in oceanic hydrothermal fluids.