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Standard Atomic Weight of Lead Revised

Published/Copyright: July 19, 2021
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Chemistry International
From the journal Chemistry International Volume 43 Issue 3

Abstract

Following the recent publication of the IUPAC Technical Report on the variation of lead isotopic composition and atomic weight in terrestrial materials [1], the IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW) is recommending changes to the standard atomic weight (i.e. relative atomic mass) of lead:

lead: to [206.14, 207.94] from 207.2 ± 0.1

The assignment of an interval for the new standard atomic weight reflects the common occurrence of variations in the atomic weights of lead in normal terrestrial materials which have been known for over a century [2]. If a single atomic-weight value is needed, the Commission recommends using 207.2 ± 1.1, which corresponds to the common lead with a symmetric uncertainty covering normal materials.

The isotopic composition and atomic weight of lead are variable in terrestrial materials because its three heaviest stable isotopes are stable end-products of the radioactive decay of uranium (238U to 206Pb and 235U to 207Pb) and thorium (232Th to 208Pb). These variations in isotope ratios and atomic weights provide useful information in many areas of science, including geochronology, archaeology, environmental studies, and forensic science. While elemental lead can serve as an abundant and homogeneous isotopic reference, deviations from the isotope ratios in other lead occurrences limit the accuracy with which a standard atomic weight can be given for lead. In a comprehensive review of several hundred publications and analyses of more than 8000 samples [1], published isotope data indicate that the lowest reported lead atomic weight of a normal terrestrial material is 206.1462 ± 0.0028, determined for a growth of the phosphate mineral monazite from the Lewisian complex in north-western Scotland, which contains mostly 206Pb and almost no 204Pb [3]. The highest published lead atomic weight is 207.9351 ± 0.0005 for monazite from a micro-inclusion, also from the Lewisian complex in north-western Scotland, which contains almost pure radiogenic 208Pb [3].

The CIAAW continues to evaluate literature data which leads to identification of developments in the measurement science, recognition of new discoveries, and remains committed to modernize its technical guidelines and work towards further expansion of its website to include more historical databases.

These changes and considerations will be published in Pure and Applied Chemistry and can be found online at the website of the IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (ciaaw.org).

https://iupac.org/standard-atomic-weight-of-lead-revised/

References

1. Zhu, Xiang-Kun, Benefield, Jacqueline, Coplen, Tyler B., Gao, Zhaofu and Holden, Norman E. Variation of lead isotopic composition and atomic weight in terrestrial materials (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 155-166 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2018-091610.1515/pac-2018-0916Search in Google Scholar

2. Soddy, F. The Atomic Weight of “Thorium” Lead. Nature 98, 469 (1917). https://doi.org/10.1038/098469a010.1038/098469a0Search in Google Scholar

3. Zhu, Z.K., O’Nions, R.K., Belshaw, N.S.,  Gibb, A.J. Lewisian crustal history from in situ SIMS mineral chronometry and related metamorphic textures. Chemical Geology, vol. 136, no. 3–4, pp. 205-218 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-2541(96)00143-X10.1016/S0009-2541(96)00143-XSearch in Google Scholar
Online erschienen: 2021-07-19
Erschienen im Druck: 2021-07-01

©2021 IUPAC & De Gruyter. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For more information, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2021-0308

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead - Full issue pdf
  2. IUPAC2021
  3. IUPAC first Virtual World Chemistry Congress and General Assembly
  4. Features
  5. Strategies for Success as an Industrial Chemist
  6. Diversity in Science at the Global Women’s Breakfast Network
  7. FAIR and Open Data in Science: The Opportunity for IUPAC
  8. IUPAC Focus on Digital Health
  9. COMEST: Ethical Advice across Scientific and Geographic Borders
  10. Diffusion Research with Nanoporous Material
  11. IUPAC Wire
  12. Standard Atomic Weight of Lead Revised
  13. PAC Cheminformatics Special Issue
  14. IUPAC Periodic Table Challenge 2020: Top Schools Announced
  15. Winners of the 2021 IUPAC-Solvay International Award For Young Chemists
  16. Winners of the Inaugural 2021 IUPAC Analytical Chemistry Awards
  17. 2021 Nominees for Election of IUPAC Officers and Bureau Members
  18. Project Place
  19. Your Basic Polymer Sciences with the Subcommittee on Polymer Education: From Synthesis to Application!
  20. Systems Thinking in Chemistry for Sustainability
  21. Up for Discussion
  22. The Challenge to establish a definition
  23. The International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022: We Need It More Than Ever
  24. Making an imPACt
  25. On good reporting practices for property measurements
  26. IUPAC Provisional Recommendations
  27. Bookworm
  28. The Period System, a history of shaping and sharing
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  30. IUPAC/CITAC Webinar “Metrology, quality assurance and chemometrics—Correlation of test results and mass balance influence on conformity assessment”
  31. International Polymer Characterization Conference—POLY-CHAR 2020 (Venice)
  32. Where 2B & Y
  33. Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Chemistry
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