Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
09:44
Laboratory Drop Towers for the Experimental Simulation of Dust-aggregate Collisions in the Early Solar System
Published on: June 5, 2014
Accretionary processes in the early solar system: an experimental approach
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|July 14, 1972
Summary
Micrometer-size silicate flakes do not stick together during high-velocity impacts. This finding challenges current theories on how planetary bodies form and suggests differences in metal and silicate accretion may have impacted solar system formation.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Cosmochemistry
- Astrophysics
Background:
- Accretionary theories explain planetesimal formation through particle collisions.
- Understanding silicate and metal accretion is crucial for solar system evolution models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the accretion behavior of micrometer-size silicate flakes during hypervelocity impacts.
- To determine the velocity threshold for silicate particle accretion.
- To assess the implications for existing accretionary theories and solar system formation.
Main Methods:
- Simulating hypervelocity impacts involving micrometer-size silicate flakes.
- Analyzing particle behavior and aggregation states post-impact.
- Varying impact velocities within the range of 1.5 to 9.5 kilometers per second.
Main Results:
- Micrometer-size silicate flakes exhibit no accretion in impacts between 1.5 and 9.5 km/s.
- Conventional accretion theories may be limited to particles with similar orbital characteristics.
- Observed non-accretion of silicates suggests distinct accretionary behaviors for metal and silicate particles.
Conclusions:
- The non-accretion of silicate flakes challenges the universality of current accretion models.
- Differences in metal and silicate accretionary behavior could be a significant factor in solar system metal-silicate fractionation.
- Further research is needed to refine models of planetesimal formation and early solar system dynamics.
Related Concept Videos
02:06Conditions on Early Earth
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
02:06Conditions on Early Earth
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
00:49Gravimetry: Inorganic And Organic Precipitating Agents
In gravimetry, the precipitant is chosen carefully to obtain a pure solid that can be easily filtered. Common inorganic precipitants can be used to determine several cations and anions. In some cases, the formation of the same precipitate can be used to determine the cation and the anion. For example, the reaction of barium and chromate ions to give barium chromate is used to determine both barium and chromate. However, precipitates such as hydroxides, oxalates, and metal ammonium phosphates...
01:16Precipitate Formation and Particle Size Control
In precipitation gravimetry, the precipitating agent should react specifically or selectively with the analyte. While a specific reagent reacts with the analyte alone, a selective reagent can react with a limited number of chemical species.
The obtained precipitate should be either a pure substance of known composition or easily converted to one by a simple process, such as ignition or drying. In addition, the precipitate should be insoluble and easily filterable. In general, filterability...
The obtained precipitate should be either a pure substance of known composition or easily converted to one by a simple process, such as ignition or drying. In addition, the precipitate should be insoluble and easily filterable. In general, filterability...
01:12Precipitation Processes
The experimental conditions in a gravimetric analysis should be optimized to maximize the particle size and purity of the obtained precipitate. Ideally, the concentration of the precipitating reagent should be low with effective stirring to maintain low relative supersaturation for the growth of large crystals. In homogeneous precipitation, the precipitant is slowly generated by a chemical reaction in the solution to avoid local reagent excesses. For example, urea decomposes gradually to...
00:52Washing, Drying, and Ignition of Precipitates
After filtration, the precipitate is washed to remove coprecipitated impurities and any remaining mother liquor. Colloidal precipitates, such as silver chloride, are washed with an electrolyte (such as dilute nitric acid) to prevent the peptization of the precipitate. In the case of slightly soluble precipitates, the wash solution contains a common ion to reduce solubility. Lead sulfate, which is slightly soluble in water, is washed with dilute sulfuric acid. Similarly, wash solutions may be...