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Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 16, 2013
Experimental simulations of sulfide formation in the solar nebula
D S Lauretta1, K Lodders, B Fegley
1Planetary Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Campus Box 1169, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA. lauretta@wunder.wustl.edu
Abstract:
Sulfurization of meteoritic metal in H2S-H2 gas produced three different sulfides: monosulfide solid solution [(Fe,Ni)1-xS], pentlandite [(Fe,Ni)9-xS8], and a phosphorus-rich sulfide. The composition of the remnant metal was unchanged. These results are contrary to theoretical predictions that sulfide formation in the solar nebula produced troilite (FeS) and enriched the remaining metal in nickel. The experimental sulfides are chemically and morphologically similar to sulfide grains in the matrix of the Alais (class CI) carbonaceous chondrite, suggesting that these meteoritic sulfides may be condensates from the solar nebula.

