Goldschmidt classification

Goldschmidt classification groups chemical elements by their affinities for silicate, metallic, sulfide, or gaseous phases. It helps explain how elements partition among planetary materials during differentiation.

Lithophile element: A chemical element preferentially concentrated in silicate minerals or the silicate portion of a planetary body. Lithophiles bind readily with oxygen and populate silicate-rich crusts and mantles.
Chemical affinity: The tendency of substances to react or associate with particular other substances. Goldschmidt groups elements by their chemical preferences for major phases.
Victor Goldschmidt: A Norwegian-born geochemist who helped establish modern geochemistry and devised an influential element classification. His geochemical research gave the classification its name and framework.
Earth's core: Earth's central metallic region, composed mainly of iron and nickel with lighter elements. Siderophile behavior helps explain which elements entered the core during Earth's formation.
Siderophile element: A chemical element that preferentially dissolves in metallic iron or iron-rich alloys. Siderophiles partition into metal during core formation.
Silicate mineral: A mineral built from silicon–oxygen structural units combined with other elements. Silicate minerals host many lithophile elements in planetary mantles and crusts.
Geochemistry: The study of Earth's chemical composition and the processes that control it. The classification is a foundational tool for interpreting chemical distributions in Earth materials.
Mantle geochemistry: The study of the composition and chemical evolution of Earth's mantle. Lithophile element patterns constrain mantle sources and melting histories.
Chalcophile element: A chemical element with an affinity for sulfur-rich phases, commonly forming sulfide minerals. Chalcophiles concentrate in sulfide phases rather than silicate minerals or metal.
Native metal: A naturally occurring mineral composed mainly of a metal in uncombined form. Metallic phases provide the reservoir favored by siderophile elements.

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Silicon–oxygen tetrahedronCompared with: A chemical way of ordering elements, in contrast with the structural basis of silicate classification.