An attempt to characterize phase Q: Noble gas, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy in residues prepared from the Allende meteorite

We have prepared a HF-HCl residue and its oxidized residue of the Allende meteorite and have measured the elemental concentrations and the isotopic compositions of noble gases. In the HF-HCl reside, noble gases are enriched in colloidal fraction compared to the non-colloidal fraction by a factor of 2-4. The heavy noble gases were evidently lost after the oxidization, indicating that phase Q (carrier of planetary heavy noble gases) was removed by the oxidation. The Raman spectroscopic parameters show that the colloidal fraction of the HF-HCl residue is more amorphous compared to the non-colloidal fraction. As the ion irradiation converts carbon into a more amorphous form, our result indicates that the “plasma model” is more plausible than the “labyrinth model” as the origin of phase Q. TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) observations also show such a trace of ion irradiation. While the TEM observations did not show any large difference between the HF-HCl residue and its oxidized residue, the Raman spectroscopic parameters changed discretely resulting from the oxidization. This observation indicates that the oxidization not only dissolved and removed oxidized carbon, but also changed the carbon structure itself to a more amorphous (disordered) state. The Raman spectroscopic results indicate the possibility that release of Q-gas during oxidation is not accompanied by mass loss and that the release of Q-gas simply resulted from rearrangement of carbon structure during oxidation.