A Component of Primitive Nuclear Composition in Carbonaceous Meteorites

Abstract
The oxygen of anhydrous, high-temperature minerals in carbonaceous meteorites is strongly depleted in the heavy stable isotopes 17 O and 18 O. The effect is the result of nuclear rather than chemical processes and probably results from the admixture of a component of almost pure 16 O. This component may predate the solar system and may represent interstellar dust with a separate history of nucleosynthesis.