The Astrophysics Spectator
The Astrophysics Spectator
The observed elemental abundances in the Solar System are given in the table at the bottom of this page as the number of atoms of the listed element divided by the number of the hydrogen atoms. The error in the measured elemental abundance is given as a percentage of the derived value. The condensation temperature is given for those elements that are known to condense. All values give in the following table are derived from Newson (1995).[1]
The abundances of elements in the solar system carry the signature of thermonuclear fusion within stars. While the most abundant elements are hydrogen (H) and helium (He), reflecting the equilibrium composition of the early universe, the high abundances of carbon (C), oxygen (O), neon (Ne), and magnesium (Mg) reflect the stages of nuclear fusion involving the conversion of helium into heavier elements, while the high abundance of nitrogen (N) reflects the CNO process of hydrogen fusion, which converts carbon and oxygen into nitrogen (Go to table).
Z |
Chemical |
Solar |
Error (%) |
Asteroid |
Error (%) |
T (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
H |
1 |
||||
2 |
He |
9.7510?2 |
8.4 |
|||
3 |
Li |
1.4510?11 |
30.0 |
2.0510?9 |
9.2 |
1225 |
4 |
Be |
1.4110?11 |
26.0 |
2.6210?12 |
9.5 |
|
5 |
B |
4.0010?10 |
100.0 |
7.6010?10 |
10.0 |
|
6 |
C |
3.6210?4 |
9.6 |
|||
7 |
N |
1.1210?4 |
9.6 |
|||
8 |
O |
8.5310?4 |
8.4 |
|||
9 |
F |
3.0210?8 |
100.0 |
3.6310?8 |
15.0 |
736 |
10 |
Ne |
1.2310?4 |
14.0 |
|||
11 |
Na |
2.1410?6 |
7.0 |
2.0610?6 |
7.1 |
970 |
12 |
Mg |
3.8010?5 |
12.0 |
3.8510?5 |
3.8 |
1340 |
13 |
Al |
2.9510?6 |
17.0 |
3.0410?6 |
3.6 |
1650 |
14 |
Si |
3.5510?5 |
12.0 |
3.5810?5 |
4.4 |
1311 |
15 |
P |
2.8210?7 |
10.0 |
3.7310?7 |
10.0 |
1151 |
16 |
S |
1.6210?5 |
15.0 |
1.8510?5 |
13.0 |
648 |
17 |
Cl |
3.0010?7 |
100.0 |
1.8810?7 |
15.0 |
863 |
18 |
Ar |
3.6210?6 |
6.0 |
|||
19 |
K |
1.3210?7 |
35.0 |
1.3510?7 |
7.7 |
1000 |
20 |
Ca |
2.2910?6 |
5.0 |
2.1910?6 |
7.1 |
1518 |
21 |
Sc |
1.2610?9 |
23.0 |
1.2310?9 |
8.6 |
1644 |
22 |
Ti |
9.7710?8 |
5.0 |
8.6010?8 |
5.0 |
1549 |
23 |
V |
1.0010?8 |
5.0 |
1.0510?8 |
5.1 |
1450 |
24 |
Cr |
4.6810?7 |
7.0 |
4.8410?7 |
7.6 |
1277 |
25 |
Mn |
2.4510?7 |
7.0 |
3.4210?7 |
9.6 |
1190 |
26 |
Fe |
4.6810?5 |
7.0 |
3.2310?5 |
2.7 |
1336 |
27 |
Co |
8.3210?8 |
10.0 |
8.0610?8 |
6.6 |
1351 |
28 |
Ni |
1.7810?6 |
10.0 |
1.7710?6 |
5.1 |
1354 |
29 |
Cu |
1.6210?8 |
10.0 |
1.8710?8 |
11.0 |
1037 |
30 |
Zn |
3.9810?8 |
20.0 |
4.5210?8 |
4.4 |
825 |
31 |
Ga |
7.5910?10 |
26.0 |
1.3510?9 |
6.9 |
918 |
32 |
Ge |
2.5710?9 |
38.0 |
4.2710?9 |
9.6 |
825 |
[1] Newson, Horton E., ?Composition of the Solar System, Planets, Meteorites, and Major Terrestrial Reservoirs.? In Global Earth Physics: A Handbook of Physical Constants edited by T.J. Ahrens, 159?189. AGU Reference Shelf, No. 1. Washington: American Geophysical Union, 1995.
