Keywords |
  • Geology

Siderophilic

A siderophilic element (literally: "having an affinity for iron") in geochemistry is one that is frequently associated with iron because of its affinity for the element in the liquid state.

The geochemical classification of the elements

This name comes from the geochemical classification of the elements proposed in the 1920s by the chemist Victor Goldschmidt with the aim of clarifying the underlying explanations for the various proportions of the chemical elements on Earth in the various mineralogical phases from the crystallization of magma. While the matter of the earth was being differentiated, the most siderophilic elements migrated with iron into the core, which explains why metals such as gold and platinum are so rare in the Earth's crust and mantle.

The geochemist Victor Goldschmidt. © The Geological Society of London

The geochemist Victor Goldschmidt. © The Geological Society of London


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