Plutonium-244 fission xenon and primordial xenon in lunar samples and meteorites

Xenon found in lunar samples is a binary mixture of244Pu fission xenon and a trapped xenon, whose isotopic composition often shows a striking resemblance to that ofTakaoka's1 primitive xenon. The decay product of129I is conspicuously absent in lunar samples and this may be attributed to the facts that (a) the half-life of129I is much shorter than that of244Pu, and (b) the separation of xenon from plutonium may take place easily, since the former is a gaseous element, while the latter is a refractory element. The separation of xenon from iodine may not take place easily, however, since the former is a gaseous element, while the latter is a volatile element. The isotopic compositions of the trapped xenon released from ordinary chondrites and achondrites resemble that ofTakaoka's primitive xenon, which has been mass-fractionated in such a manner that the heavier isotopes are systematically enriched relative to the lighter isotopes.