Objective Knowledge of the light element (H, C, N) characteristics of planetary building blocks is key to our understanding of the development of habitable conditions on Earth. Since 'magmatic' iron meteorites originate from the metallic cores of the earliest, differentiated planetesimals, they may preserve a record of H, C, and N isotopic variations in the inner and outer solar system during the first stages of planetary accretion. Based on novel multi-light-element isotopic analyses of irons and other Fe-Ni alloy-rich meteorites and experimental simulations, project IRONIS aims to answer the fundamental questions of (i) how the distributions of H, C, and N (and their carrier phases) evolved in space and time within the earliest stages of the protoplanetary disk, and (ii) how H, C, and N were distributed between metals and silicates during planetesimal accretion, differentiation, and subsequent evolution. A major objective is to develop novel secondary ion mass spectrometry protocols for analyzing H, C, and N in situ in Fe-Ni alloy, and to combine these with 'bulk' N-noble gas analyses by static noble gas mass spectrometry. The originality and uniqueness of project IRONIS thus lies in the coupling of two state-of the-art analytical techniques, which allow the quantification of any solar gas and cosmogenic nuclide contributions. Only once the effects of these secondary components are understood, can spatiotemporal isotopic variations in the protoplanetary disk be investigated. In parallel, new cross-calibrated N analyses of experimental run products will provide constraints on the degree of N isotopic fractionation during alloy-silicate partitioning, and will permit us to assess if the N isotopic compositions of irons represent a primary feature of their parent bodies. Ultimately, by investigating the remnants of the first planetesimal populations, project IRONIS will provide new fundamental insights into the cosmochemical history and evolution of life-forming light elements. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrynoble gaseshumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesmeteoritesnatural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrymass spectrometry Keywords Hydrogen carbon nitrogen noble gases isotopes mass spectrometry meteorites planetesimal cores solar system Programme(s) HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2022-COG - ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2022-COG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants Host institution CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS Net EU contribution € 1 779 805,00 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 779 805,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS France Net EU contribution € 1 779 805,00 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 779 805,00
