Geochem

element losing electrons -
Oxidizing or reducing?

element losing electrons
-Reducing agent or oxidizing agent?

Metals are electron donors or acceptors?

Non-metals:
electron donors or acceptors?

Balance redox reaction:
Fe + Cl2 -> Fe3+ + 2 Cl-

Rules for Balancing Reactions

Why do redox reactions occur?

Describe the process of formation of sandstone hosted uranium deposits

Describe challenges associated with disposal of radioactive waste.

Oxidation states of iron.

What are BIFs?

Model of BIF formation

Talk about the oceanic environment needed for BIF deposition.

What is acid mine drainage?

Causes of acid mine drainage.

Pyrite oxidation properties:

What is emf?

Equation relating ΔG° to E°.

Why is E° negative and positive sometimes?

Nernst Equation:

What is Eh?

Why do we need standard electrode?

Which way do the electrons move when Eh is positive or negative?

What type of environment if Eh = +ve

What type of environment if Eh = -ve

In a reducing environment, are there few or many electrons?

What are the upper and lower boundaries for in Eh-pH diagrams?

On a Eh-pH diagram, where do AMD (acid mine drainage), basalt coated in ferric hydroxides and serpentinization plot on Eh-pH diagram.

What do Eh-pH diagrams show?

What is nucleosynthesis?

Through what nuclear process is nucleosynthesis achieved?

What must be overcome in order for nucleosynthesis to occur?

What conditions are needed for nucleosysnthesis to occur?

What are the four fundamental forces in nature?

What is electromagnetic force?

What is weak nuclear force?

What is strong nuclear force?

What is the name of the theory that combines electricity, magnetism, weak and strong nuclear forces?

What did Big Bang expand from?

How old is the universe?

What is the order of decoupling of forces and how long did this process take?

After Big Bang, when did first atomic nuclei form?

What conditions allowed first atomic nuclei to form?

What are the stages of nucleosynthesis?

What are other names for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis?

What elements were produced during stage 1 nucleosynthesis and include their percentages?

How many isotopes were produced in Big Bang Nucleosynthesis?

Theough what process were tritium and 7Li produced?

What is the process leading to the formation of deuterium?

What is the nucleon gap?

Show how it can occur.

When does the formation of galaxies first occur?

How were galaxies and stars formed?

In a few words describe how a star forms.

How is nucleosynthesis achieved in stars?

Describe the proton-proton chain reaction.

In what type of stars does Proton-Proton Chain Rxn occur?

In proton-proton chain reaction, what element is being burned?

What does CNO cycle mean?

What does CNO cycle involve?

What type of star is our Sun and what process does it use?

Describe the process through which stars go that burn Helium in their core.

What other name is there for Helium-Burning?

Describe Triple-alpha process?

List the 3 fusion reactions occurring in stars.

What is the relationship between the mass of stars and heaviest element fused?

How is the duration of fusion process related to heaviest element fused in stars?

In a massive star with many layers, what is the order of elements burning in each layer in the star?

What is the heaviest atom produced by stellar nucleosynthesis?

How are elements heavier than Fe produced?

What are the 2 processes within Supernovae Nucleosynthesis?

What is neutron capture process?

What is s-process?

What are the two neutron capture processes?

What is r-process?

What is p-process?
Describe it.

What elements are produced in Big Bang, Stellar Nucleosynthesis, and Supernova Nucleosynthesis?

What is cosmogenic nuclide formation?

Cosmogenic nuclide formation is important for the formation of what elements?

What are the 4 processes by which all elements are produced?

What are Faunhofer lines?

What are most primitive materials in the solar system?

What is the difference between meteor and meteorite?

Where do meteorites come from?

What is the difference between meteorite fall and find?

List the 4 ways of identifying a meteorite?

What are Regmaglypts?

What are chondrules?

How are meteorites classified?

What are undifferentiated/unmelted meteorites?

What are differentiated/melted meteorites?

What is another name for undifferentiated meteorites?

What are the 3 types of Chondrites?

What are some properties of chondrites?

Components in Chondrites.

List some properties of carbonaceous chondrites.

What is meteorite group classification based on (i.e. what does each chondrite group have in common)

What is special about Charbonaceous chondrite Ivuna-type?

A property of ordinary chondrites.

A property of Enstatite-class Chondrites.

What are the 2 classes of igneous meteorites?

What are achondrites?

What are iron meteorites?

How many groups of Iron Meteorites?

What do stony-iron meteorites consist of?

Which meteorite type gives the most primitive composition?

Why can we use of meteorites as representative of bulk Earth composition?

Patterns in abundance of elements in Solar System.
(lighter elements)

Patterns in abundance of elements in Solar System.
(trends and heavy elements)

Fractionation occurs in what type of minerals?

When can fractionation occur?

What is the definition of compatible and incompatible elements?

Give an example of an element fractionated during weathering?

Definition of a major and minor element.

Important uses of major elements in geochem?

Draw the melting curve of a pure solid.

Draw the melting curve(s) of solid solutions or mineral mixtures.

How do different types of elements fractionate during partial melting?

What are the processes leading to variation in chemical composition of igneous rocks?

State definitions of magma differentiation processes.

State definitions of primary, primitive/parental and evolved magmas.

Plot primary, primitive/parental and evolved magmas.

What are Harker Diagrams?

Definition of trace elements and some characteristics.

What is bulk distribution (partition) coefficient equation?

What are LILE elements?

What are HFSE elements?

What are REE?

What is the compatibility of REE elements?

How do you remove Oddo-Harkins effect in REE diagrams?

What processes can cause fractionation in REE?

What are Spider Diagrams?

What controls element fractionation in nature?

What controls isotopic fractionation in nature?

How is relative mass difference calculated in isotopes?

What are difference in extent of isotopic fractionation between lighter and heavier elements attributed to?

What is radioactive decay rate dependent on and independent from?

What are the types of radioactive decay?

Describe beta decay, write formula and give an example.

For beta decay, in which direction move the isotopes on the diagram?

Where is negatron emission on diagram compared to valley of stability ?

Describe positron decay, write formula and give an example.

For positron/electron capture decay, in which direction move the isotopes on the diagram?

Where is positron emission/electron capture on diagram compared to valley of stability?

Describe electron capture decay, write formula and give an example.

What is the difference between positron decay and electron capture decay.

What is another name for beta decay, positron decay, electron capture decay?

Describe alpha decay and give an example.

For alpha decay, in which direction move the isotopes on the diagram?

What is nuclear fission?

How are gamma rays produced during radioactive decay?

What is decay constant?

Write-out the derivation of radioactive decay equation.

What is the geochronological equation?

How are isotopic abundances reported?

What are some methods of radiometric dating?

Discuss the "Do is zero assumption" in radiometric dating.

Discuss isochron method for radiometric dating.

Draw a labelled graph for isochron method.

Name the different types of isochron lines.

What are some assumptions in radiometric dating?

What is half life?
Give formula for it.
Typical number of half-lives that can be measured.

In general, decay scheme with what type of half-lives are used for dating older and younger rocks?

Describe C-14 production and pathway

How is age calculated by radiocarbon dating (i.e. what formula used)?

What is typical limit of carbon-14 dating?

What is carbon-14 dating used to date?

What are some issues with carbon-14 dating?

How is Carbon-14 calibrated?

What exactly is dated using isotopic systems (i.e. the calculated age is the age of what event)?

How can cooling rate be determined through radiometric dating?

How can metamorphic event be determined through radiometric dating?

Minerals with what type of closure temperature are preferentially used for radiometric dating?

What are some types of disturbances that can occur in isotopic systems, and what are their effects on the derived dates?

What is secular equilibrium?

What are concordant / discordant dates in U-Pb, Th-Pb?

What causes disturbance, and what type most commonly occurring?

Why is zircon commonly used for U-Pb dating?

What does U-Pb concordia curve show?

If a point falls on the concordia curve, what does that mean?

What is discordia line?

Discuss discordia graph, ie intercepts, points on/off curve.

What is the difference between episodic versus continuous Pb loss?

Advantages of U-Pb concordia method?

What are the properties of some commonly used isotopes by stable isotope geochemists?
Give some examples.

What influences the way different isotopes respond to physical processes?

What influences the way different isotopes respond to physical processes?

Heavy isotopes make ... chemical bonds than lighter isotopes.

What are the 2 different types of mass dependent isotope fractionation?

What is equilibrium isotope fractionation?

What is the governing rule of equilibrium isotope fractionation?

Equilibrium isotope fractionation between 2 phases is based on differences in what?