Abstract
Transmission electron microscope study of a chondritic interplanetary dust particle has revealed the presence of epsilon iron-nickel carbide, a low-temperature carbide previously encountered only in metallurgical studies. In these studies ε-carbide was synthesized by carburization of iron or nickel grains in a stream of carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide plus hydrogen. Similar carburization of an iron-nickel metal in situ may have produced ε-carbide during particle heating on atmospheric entry or in solar orbit. Alternatively, the c-carbide may be a by-product of Fischer-Tropsch reactions in the solar nebula. Such reactions have been proposed as the mechanism of hydrocarbon formation in the early solar system.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1327-1329 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 222 |
Issue number | 4630 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1983 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General