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Related Concept Videos

Isotopes01:12

Isotopes

Elements have a set number of protons that determines their atomic number (Z). For example, all atoms with eight protons are oxygen; however, the number of neutrons can vary for atoms of the same element. The sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons is the mass number (A). Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called isotopes. Elements can have multiple isotopes, for example, carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14.An element's atomic mass, or weight, is a...
Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes02:31

Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes

A chemical symbol is an abbreviation used to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg. The same symbol is used to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain).
Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common name)...
Hess's Law03:40

Hess's Law

There are two ways to determine the amount of heat involved in a chemical change: measure it experimentally, or calculate it from other experimentally determined enthalpy changes. Some reactions are difficult, if not impossible, to investigate and make accurate measurements for experimentally. And even when a reaction is not hard to perform or measure, it is convenient to be able to determine the heat involved in a reaction without having to perform an experiment.
Atomic Mass01:52

Atomic Mass

Atoms — and the protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose them — are extremely small. For example, a carbon atom weighs less than 2 × 10−23 g. When describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms, we use appropriately small units of measure, such as the atomic mass unit (amu). The amu was originally defined based on hydrogen, the lightest element, then later in terms of oxygen. Since 1961, it has been defined with regard to the most abundant isotope of carbon, atoms of which are...
Hydrogen Bonds00:26

Hydrogen Bonds

Hydrogen BondsHydrogen bonds are weak attractions between atoms that have formed other chemical bonds. One of these atoms is electronegative, like oxygen, and has a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that has bonded with another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge.Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are...
Hydrogen Bonds01:04

Hydrogen Bonds

A hydrogen bond is formed when a weakly positive hydrogen atom already bonded to one electronegative atom (for example, the oxygen in the water molecule) is attracted to another electronegative atom from another polar molecule, such as water (H2O), hydrogen fluoride (HF), or ammonia (NH3). The huge electronegativity difference between the H atom (2.1) and the atom to which it is bonded (4.0 for an F atom, 3.5 for an O atom, or 3.0 for an N atom), combined with the very small size of an H atom...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
06:04

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Light hydrogen isotopes in terrestrial core.

Yu Zhang1,2, Wenzhong Wang1,2,3, Zhengbin Deng4

  • 1Laboratory of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.

Science Advances
|July 10, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Earth's core holds isotopically light hydrogen, while the mantle is enriched in deuterium. This suggests early Earth had a lower deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio, impacting our understanding of planetary water origins.

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Quantification of Hydrogen Concentrations in Surface and Interface Layers and Bulk Materials through Depth Profiling with Nuclear Reaction Analysis
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Quantification of Hydrogen Concentrations in Surface and Interface Layers and Bulk Materials through Depth Profiling with Nuclear Reaction Analysis

Published on: March 29, 2016

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod
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Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Published on: August 17, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
06:04

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Quantification of Hydrogen Concentrations in Surface and Interface Layers and Bulk Materials through Depth Profiling with Nuclear Reaction Analysis
14:11

Quantification of Hydrogen Concentrations in Surface and Interface Layers and Bulk Materials through Depth Profiling with Nuclear Reaction Analysis

Published on: March 29, 2016

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod
06:06

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Published on: August 17, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Planetary Science
  • Geochemistry
  • Computational Physics

Background:

  • The origin of Earth's water is a significant unresolved question in planetary science.
  • Hydrogen isotopes (like deuterium) are crucial tracers for understanding planetary water reservoirs and history.
  • The hydrogen isotope composition of Earth's core, the largest internal reservoir, remains unconstrained.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify hydrogen isotope fractionation between silicate and metallic melts under core-forming conditions.
  • To determine the impact of core formation on the deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H) ratio of Earth's reservoirs.
  • To constrain the initial D/H ratio of the proto-Earth and its implications for water origin.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized first-principles calculations to model hydrogen behavior at extreme conditions.
  • Employed machine-learning-accelerated path-integral molecular dynamics for accurate isotope fractionation simulations.
  • Simulated hydrogen isotope partitioning between silicate and metallic melts under simulated core-forming conditions.

Main Results:

  • Core formation significantly enriched the silicate Earth in deuterium (heavy hydrogen isotope).
  • The Earth's core was found to concentrate isotopically light hydrogen.
  • These findings necessitate that the proto-Earth began with a lower D/H ratio compared to the present-day mantle.

Conclusions:

  • Earth's core formation process played a critical role in establishing the D/H ratio of the planet's major reservoirs.
  • The bulk-Earth D/H ratio can be explained by accretion of enstatite chondrite-like material or by isotopic resetting of planetesimals.
  • Earth's water inventory and its isotopic signature were likely established during the earliest stages of planetary accretion.