A meteoritic component rich in volatile elements: its characterization and implications.

An unusual carbon-rich material found in the Abee meteorite is highly enriched in volatile elements, by factors of 10(4) relative to the case for nonvolatile elements. Volatile-rich material of this type might form in the solar nebula toward the end of accretion, when small amounts of residual dust acquire all the uncondensed volatile elements. The mercury enrichment factor of 8500 could explain the paradox of the excess abundance of this element in meteorites.

Chondrules: An Origin by Impacts between Dust Grains.

A barred chondrule in the Ngawi meteorite contains a magnetite spherule embedded in it. The collision between these two objects fractured and partially remelted the chondrule, an indication that the impact velocity was 10(5) to 10(6) centimeters per second. This observation supports Cameron's and Whipple's recent predictions that grains achieved high velocities in the nebula and that the resulting impacts provide a suitable chondrule-forming mechanism.

Exinct superheavy element in meteorites: attempted characterization.

If the unexplained fission xenon component in meteorites is due to a volatile superheavy element, this element must have had a heat of vaporization of 54 +/- 3 kilocalories per mole and a normal boiling point of 2500 degrees +/- 400 degrees K. The prime candidates are elements 111 and 115, followed by 113, 114, 112, and 116. Elements 105 to 110 are not volatile enough and can therefore be excluded.