A compendium of geochemistry / Краткое руководство по геохимии

In principle, the distribution of the elements among coexisting phases in equilibrium can be predicted, if one knows the Gibbs free energies of formation and activity coefficients of all chemical species in all phases as functions of temperature, pressure, and compositions of phases. Because this is not always possible, many geochemists attempt to explain and predict the geochemical behavior of various elements by their atomic properties, such as electron configuration, ionization energies, ionic radii, ionic potentials, electric polarizability, crystal lattice energies, hydrolysis constants, solubility products, and electronegativity. This kind of approach has proved to be useful but has also caused confusion when the exact physical meaning of those parameters is ignored.
In order to provide a framework for the discussion in the following chapters, these atomic properties and their closely interrelated nature are reviewed in the following sections. For ease of explaining the observed relative abundance of nuclides in the solar nebula in the next chapter, some pertinent nuclear properties are also reviewed here. <...>