Experimental studies of oxygen and hydrogen isotope fractionations between precipitated brucite and water at low temperatures

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope fractionation factors between brucite and water were experimentally determined by chemical synthesis techniques at low temperatures of 15 degrees to 120 degrees C. MgCl2, Mg3N(2), and MgO were used as reactants, respectively, to produce brucite in aqueous solutions. All of the synthesis products were identified by x-ray diffraction (XRD) for crystal structure and by scanning electron microscope (SEM) for morphology. It is observed that oxygen isotope fractionations between brucite and water are temperature dependent regardless of variations in aging time, the chemical composition, and pH value of solutions. Brucites derived from three different starting materials yielded consistent fractionations with water at the same temperatures. These suggest that oxygen isotope equilibrium has been achieved between the synthesized brucite and water, resulting in the fractionation equation of 10(3)ln alpha = 1.56 X 10(6)/T-2 - 14.1. When the present results for the brucite-water system are compared with those for systems of gibbsite-water and goethite-water, it suggests the following sequence of O-18-enrichment in the M-OH bonds of hydroxides: Al3+ - OH > Fe3+ - OH > Mg2+ - OH. Hydrogen isotope fractionations between brucite and water obtained by the different synthesis methods have also achieved equilibrium, resulting in the fractionation equation of 10(3)ln alpha = -4.88 X 10(6)/T-2 - 22.5. Because of the pressure effect on hydrogen isotope fractionations between minerals and water, the present calibrations at atmospheric pressure are systematically lower than fractionations extrapolated from hydrothermal exchange experiments at high temperatures of 510 degrees to 100 degrees C and high pressures of 1060 to 1000 bar. Comparison of the present results with existing calibrations involving other low-temperature minerals suggests the following sequence of D-enrichment in hydroxyl-bearing minerals. Al3+ - OH > Mg2+ - OH > Fe3+ - OH. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.