ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Unraveling the structural evolution and reactivity of white rust, a key intermediate on early Earth and Mars

Abstract: White rust (WR) is a highly reactive material that acts as a precursor in many chemical processes. It is produced during iron corrosion and has been implicated as a key reactive intermediate in the origins of life on Earth. Our work has shown that WR would have commonly formed on the early Martian surface under low CO2, offering a simple explanation for the composition of sedimentary rocks analyzed by the MSL rover, and carrying fundamental implications for climate evolution. However, very little is known about the formation of WR, its structural evolution, and its relationship to other well studied Fe-minerals. This proposal is focused on acquiring fundamental data on the localisation of H2O and its role in defining the structure and stability of WR. This work will shed light on the formation and reactivity of this enigmatic material, and its role in countless geochemical systems.

Principal Investigator: Dr Nicholas Tosca
Local Contact: Professor David Keen
Experimenter: Dr Imad Ahmed

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB1520184

ISIS Experiment Number: RB1520184

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Nicholas Tosca et al; (2015): Unraveling the structural evolution and reactivity of white rust, a key intermediate on early Earth and Mars, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB1520184

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.