Mass-dependent isotopic fractionation of a solid tin under a strong gravitational field

• Published in: Europhysics letters Vol. 85; no. 6; p. 64001
• Main Authors: Osawa, Takahito, Ono, Masao, Esaka, Fumitaka, Okayasu, Satoru, Iguchi, Yusuke, Hao, Ting, Magara, Masaaki, Mashimo, Tsutomu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 01-03-2009; EDP Sciences
• Subjects: 47.57.ef; 66.30.Fq; 67.80.dj
• ISSN: 0295-5075; 1286-4854
• DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/85/64001

Pure tin metals were centrifuged at 1$\times$106g and at 220 °C for 100 hours, at 0.40$\times$106g at 220–230 °C for 24 hours, and at 0.25$\times$106g at 220 °C for 24 hours. Their isotopic compositions were measured by a secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS). 116Sn/120Sn and 124Sn/120Sn ratios of the 1.02$\times$106g sample were considerably different than the initial compositions, and the magnitude of isotopic fractionation reached 2.6±0.1%. A three-isotope diagram of 116Sn/120Sn vs. 124Sn/120Sn shows conclusively that isotopic fractionation caused by a gravitational field depended only on the isotopic mass.