Cosmochemistry

Cosmochemistry studies the chemical composition, origins, and evolution of matter in the universe, especially materials from the Solar System.

Isotope: An isotope is a form of an element whose atoms have the same proton count but different neutron counts. Isotopic ratios preserve clues to the sources and histories of Solar System materials.
Condensation sequence: A condensation sequence describes the order in which minerals form as a cooling gas changes from vapor to solid. It predicts mineral formation as the solar nebula cooled.
Allende meteorite: The Allende meteorite is a carbonaceous chondrite that fell in Mexico in 1969 and contains abundant calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions. Its inclusions became key samples for studying the Solar System's earliest solids.
Harold C. Urey: Harold C. Urey was an American chemist whose work on isotopes and the origin of the Solar System earned him the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His isotope research helped establish chemical evidence as a tool for studying planetary origins.
Presolar grain: A presolar grain is a mineral grain formed around a star before the Solar System and later preserved in a meteorite. Its unusual isotopic signature can identify the stellar source of ancient material.
Nucleosynthesis: Nucleosynthesis is the production of atomic nuclei through nuclear reactions in stars, stellar explosions, and the early universe. It explains how the elements measured in cosmic materials were made.
Fractional crystallization: Fractional crystallization separates a liquid from crystals as minerals form at different temperatures. It can account for chemical differentiation in meteorite parent bodies.
Murchison meteorite: The Murchison meteorite is a carbon-rich chondrite that fell in Australia in 1969 and contains diverse organic compounds. Its chemistry demonstrates the variety of organic matter in primitive Solar System materials.
Clair Cameron Patterson: Clair Cameron Patterson was an American geochemist who used lead isotopes to determine Earth's age. His precise age estimate anchored the chronology of Solar System formation.
Late veneer: The late veneer is the material added to Earth's mantle after most of its core had formed. Its composition may connect meteorites to the final stages of Earth's accretion.

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