Experimental evidence for Mo isotope fractionation between metal and silicate liquids

Stable isotope fractionation of siderophile elements may inform on the conditions and chemical consequences of core-mantle differentiation in planetary objects. The extent to which Mo isotopes fractionate during such metal-silicate segregation, however, is so far unexplored. We have therefore investigated equilibrium fractionation of Mo isotopes between liquid metal and liquid silicate to evaluate the potential of Mo isotopes as a new tool to study core formation. We have performed experiments at 1400 and 1600 degrees C in a centrifuging piston cylinder. Tin was used to lower the melting temperature of the Fe-based metal alloys to <1400 degrees C, while variable Fe-oxide contents were used to vary oxygen fugacity in graphite and MgO capsules. Isotopic analyses were performed using a double spike technique. In experiments performed at 1400 degrees C, the Mo-98/Mo-95 ratio of silicate is 0.19 +/- 0.03 parts per thousand (95% confidence interval) heavier than that of metal. This fractionation is not significantly affected by the presence or absence of carbon. Molybdenum isotope fractionation is furthermore independent of oxygen fugacity in the range IW -1.79 to IW +0.47, which are plausible values for core formation. Experiments at 1600 degrees C show that, at equilibrium, the Mo-98/Mo-95 ratio of silicate is 0.12 +/- 0.02 parts per thousand heavier than that of metal and that the presence or absence of Sn does not affect this fractionation. Equilibrium Mo isotope fractionation between liquid metal and liquid silicate as a function of temperature can therefore be described as Delta(MOMetal-Silicate)-M-98/95 = -4.70(+/- 0.59) x 10(5)/T-2. Our experiments show that Mo isotope fractionation may be resolvable up to metal-silicate equilibration temperatures of about 2500 degrees C, rendering Mo isotopes a novel tool to investigate the conditions of core formation in objects ranging from planetesimals to Earth sized bodies. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.