Zirconium and Hafnium in Stone Meteorites

Abstract
The abundances of zirconium and hafnium in stone meteorites, were determined by neutron activation analysis. Specific radiochemical separations were used to obtain individual zirconium and hafnium samples of high radiochemical purity. The average abundance of zirconium in chondrites for six analyses was 35 parts per million; of hafnium, 0.19 ppm. The hafnium abundances are in good general agreement with the predictions of current theories of nucleosynthesis.