Get your own Free Home PageOn July 4th, at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, Dr. Russell VernonClark made a stunning announcement to the press:
Good morning. My name is Dr. Russell VernonClark, that is spelled RUSSELL VERNONCLARK. I am a scientist currently employed by the University of California, San Diego and I hold a Ph.D. in chemistry.
For the past year and a half, I have been privately involved in the testing and analysis of the material Derrel described to you. I am here today to present the laboratory test results and analysis conducted, so far, on this material by scientists throughout the United States.
From the tests that have been completed, these include Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectroscopy and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy, we have determined that this material shows significant variations from the normal isotopic compositions found on the Earth and should be considered extraterrestrial in origin. Further, using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectroscopy it has been determined that this material should be considered as manufactured as it is not naturally occurring.
It is well known that all matter is composed of atoms. And atoms consist of a nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud. All nuclei, other than the simplest hydrogen, are made up of both protons and neutrons.
Atoms which have the same number of protons are all the same element, like aluminum or carbon. When the number of protons between two or more atoms is the same but the number of neutrons is different these atoms are called isotopes. For example, one isotope of carbon has six protons and six neutrons and is called carbon-12. Another isotope has six protons and seven neutrons and is carbon-13. Naturally occurring on the Earth, carbon is a mixture of 98.9 % carbon-12 and 1.1 % carbon-13. This will be true for all of the naturally occurring terrestrial carbon.
If a sample with carbon was found to be a 50 % carbon-12 and 50 % carbon-13 mixture, we would have to conclude that the sample was not naturally occurring on the Earth.
I personally conducted the first set of isotopic ratio tests using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectroscopy or ICP/MS for short. ICP/MS is useful for determining elemental composition and isotopic ratios for an extremely wide array of elements. In the case of this material, the sample was dissolved in a mixture of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acids. Then the material was sprayed into an argon plasma which creates separate atomic ions. The ions are accelerated into a mass spectrometer for separation and detection. You are, in effect, counting the numbers of atomic nuclei that correspond to a specific isotope.
Because our time is limited today, I'll skip the intricacies of the analysis and data and give you a brief overview of the ICP/MS results. All of the isotopes of which I chose to analyze were present in trace amounts. The analysis I conducted uncovered the following isotopic anomalies, let's begin with nickel.
Two of the isotopes of nickel present were masses 60 and 61. On the Earth, the natural abundance for these two nickel isotopes is 26.1 % and 1.13 % respectively. This is a ratio of about 23 to 1. In the sample tested, the ratio was dramatically diminished to 5 to 1, a 4 fold decrease! This is significantly different from the ratios for terrestrial nickel.
Two of the isotopes of zinc that were test in this material were masses 64 and 66. On Earth, the natural abundance of zinc for these two isotopes is 48.6 % and 27.9 % respectively. That is a ratio of about 7 to 4. In the zinc tested, this ratio was dramatically reversed as 4 to 9! Again, this is significantly different from the terrestrial zinc.
Finally there were two stable silver isotopes present in the material, silver -107 and 109. The silver isotopes found on Earth are at an approximate ratio of 1 to 1. The silver ratio in the sample was 1 to 2. Once again this is a significant difference from the terrestrial silver isotopes.
Due to the size of the sample I was given to work with, and because the test was double blinded, in that I had not idea of the origin of the sample of its composition, I strongly suggested that more tests be conducted to corroborate these findings and further investigate the elemental composition of the material.
My original conclusions and recommendations led to a second set of tests. Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy, or SIMS, analysis was conducted by a colleague at another major west coast reseach university. With this method, a sample is bombarded with ions and the surface has material 'sputtered' away. This material is accelerated into a mass spectrometer for separation and detection. Again, you are, in effect, counting the numbers of atomic nuclei that correspond to a specific isotope.
This SIMS test corroborated the initial ICP/MS findings and uncovered further isotopic anomalies not detected in the first analysis. The sample, which we now know to be nearly pure silicon, shows a striking variation from natural abundance.
For example, Silicon 28 is 92 % abundant on the Earth. In this sample it is present in only 26 % abundance. The other two stable isotopes, silicon 29 and 30 are greatly enhanced at more than 10 times their Terrestrial natural abundance.
A similar variation for Germanium was found with the mass 72 isotope dominating in the tested sample at 94 % of the total Germanium. Natural, terrestrial origin Germanium is only 27 % abundant in this isotope.
The Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectroscopy or ICP/OES was conducted on the material by a private laboratory in Texas. It is from these tests that it was determined that the material was most likely manufactured and not naturally occurring. ICP/OES is useful for determining the elemental composition for an extremely wide array of elements. The sample is sprayed into an argon plasma which creates separate atomic ions. These atoms are excited by the energy of the plasma and emit electromagnetic radiation, or light, with wavelengths (colors) specific for each element. This instrument cannot differentiate between isotopes.
The composition of this material was found to be greater than 99 % silicon.
Therefore it should be considered that this material is both manufactured and extraterrestrial in origin
Please keep in mind that despite the lengthy discussion and technical scientific descriptions, these are extremely precise laboratory tests. In the cases of ICP/MS and SIMS we are essentially looking inside the atom at the nucleus and weighing its contents. Simply put, these tests have far less error than, if you will forgive the analogy, even the most sophisticated DNA testing performed today.
While the test results are astounding, the testing process is ongoing. Portions of the material has already been handed over to other members of the scientific community and the objective analysis continues. Currently, the raw data and conclusions from these tests are being compiled and will be submitted to a peer reviewed publication when the rest of the testing is completed.
Hypothetical
| Element | Atomic Mass | Natural Abundance | Hypothetical Sample |
| Carbon | 12 | 98.9 | 50 |
| Carbon | 13 | 1.1 | 50 |
Nickel
| Element | Atomic Mass | Natural Abund Rel Ratios | RR3 Relative Ratios |
| Ni | 59.93 | 84.20 | 40.26 |
| Ni | 60.93 | 4.02 | 29.08 |
| Ni | 61.93 | 11.78 | 30.67 |
| Element | Atomic Mass | Natural Abund Rel Ratios | RR3 Relative Ratios |
| Zn | 63.93 | 63.74 | 54.62 |
| Zn | 65.93 | 36.26 | 45.38 |
| Element | Atomic Mass | Natural Abund Rel Ratios | RR3 Relative Ratios |
| Ag | 106.91 | 51.35 | 33.34 |
| Ag | 108.90 | 48.65 | 66.66 |
Silicon
| Element | Atomic Mass | Natural Abundance on the Earth | Found in the RR3 Sample |
| Si | 28 | 92.18 | 26.55 |
| Si | 29 | 4.71 | 43.28 |
| Si | 30 | 3.12 | 30.16 |
| Element | Atomic Mass | Natural Abundance on the Earth | Found in the RR3 Sample |
| Ge | 70 | 20.52 | 0 |
| Ge | 72 | 27.43 | 94.46 |
| Ge | 73 | 7.76 | 3.28 |
| Ge | 74 | 36.54 | 2.11 |
| Ge | 75 | 0 | 0.11 |
| Ge | 76 | 7.76 | 0.04 |
At first glance this might look like a game-winning 56-yard field goal for UFOlogy. But before I close down my web site, I first want to see if what was kicked through the goal posts was a football, and not a shoe.
Unanswered questions
Silicon
It has been claimed that the sample is 99% silicon, based upon a technique known as Inductively Coupled Plasma / Optical Emission Spectroscopy. The sample is dissolved in acid for this experiment, meaning that the origin of any oxygen detected cannot be determined (because the acid contains oxygen.) If the sample contains oxygen also, it will not be unambiguously detected by this technique.
Why is oxygen important? Because, pure silicon does not occur naturally in nature - it is always found in combination with oxygen (for example as silica in quartz, rocks and sand.) Because no oxygen was found in sample RR3, Dr. VernonClark said, it cannot be natural in origin. However, the data presented by Dr. VernonClark do not show oxygen because the test used cannot detect oxygen. It has yet to be proved that there is no oxygen in the sample.
I suggest that the sample be analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in order to determine the oxygen content and the oxidation state of the silicon. The assertion made, that the material is 99% silicon, and therefore manufactured, is not justified by the data presented.
Germanium
The results of the elemental analysis obtained by means of ICP/OES were "skipped" at the press conference. How much germanium was detected by this technique? No details of the SIMS analyses were given, either. What is the mass resolution of the instrumentation employed?
These questions are important because of the possibility that the anomalous germanium results are the result of a mis-interpretation of the spectrum, for example if the mass resolution was not sufficient to distinguish between Ge and C6Hx.
The origin of the sample
This is a question of chain of custody as much as it is of isotopes. The original owner of the sample must come forward and tell his story. He has to show that RR3 came from the site of a UFO crash and not, for example, a nuclear reactor or atom bomb test.
Reproduced here with permission
Subject: Re: Manufactured from extraterrestrial
materials?
From: "Rebecca
M. Chamberlin"
Date: 1997/07/14
Newsgroups: alt.paranet.ufo,sci.skeptic,sci.chem
Mike Broussard wrote:
>
> Professor Robert Toreki wrote:
> >
> > ...to wonder about the instrument, technique, calibrations
and/or
> > technician, but the point is that there are literally **hundreds**
of
> > ways to get a result like this,
>
> What results? Have you even looked at the data? Tell
me what the
> measured ratios for the germanium were, if you can.
I looked at the Ge ratios. I find it quite interesting that
they
measured a relative Ge-75 ratio of 0.11%, considering that Ge-75
has a
half life of 1.38 hours.
If we assume that the Ge content in the sample is at least 0.1%
(a
low-end estimate if the Ge isotopics were determined by SIMS analysis
in
the presence of 99% Si), then the overall Ge-75 content is about
0.00011%.
Ge-75 has a specific activity of 3.03(e7) Ci/gram; therefore
VernonClark's "0.1 mg" sample containing 0.00011% Ge-75 **at the
time of
analysis** would have an activity of 3.3 mCi. This amount
of beta/gamma
radiation would be easily detected by any standard radiation detector,
and in fact is potentially hazardous to workers if not properly
shielded.
Now, let's assume that VernonClark analyzed the sample a week after
its
discovery (t = 168 hours = 122 half-lives of Ge-75). If 122
half-lives
had passed before the analysis was performed, then the radioactivity
of
the sample at the time of its discovery would have been 2(^122)
times
higher, or 2(e34) Ci.
Even if the analysis occurred the day after discovery of the sample
(t =
24 hours = 17.4 half-lives) the Ge-75 activity would have been
2(^17.4)
times higher, or 432 Ci. Of course, VernonClark only analyzed
a minute
piece of the fragment, so the overall radioactivity of the sample
was
probably 1000 times greater.
Therefore, we can easily determine whether the stated Ge isotopic
ratios
are bogus. This can be accomplished by determining whether
the person
who discovered the sample is dead of radiation poisoning.
Becky
Subject: Re: Manufactured from extraterrestrial
materials?
From: "Rebecca
M. Chamberlin"
Date: 1997/07/14
Newsgroups: alt.paranet.ufo,sci.skeptic,sci.chem
Rebecca M. Chamberlin wrote:
>
> Now, let's assume that VernonClark analyzed the sample a week
after its
> discovery (t = 168 hours = 122 half-lives of Ge-75). If
122 half-lives
> had passed before the analysis was performed, then the radioactivity
of
> the sample at the time of its discovery would have been 2(^122)
times
> higher, or 2(e34) Ci.
Oops, I failed to notice that Broussard's page
(http://www.1stnet.com/~mikeb/roswell/roswell.html) states that
the
piece of UFO debris was discovered 50 years ago at the UFO crash
site.
50 years = 438,000 hours elapsed time between discovery and analysis
=
317,000 Ge-75 half-lives. This makes the Ge-75 (or parent
nuclide)
activity at the time of discovery 2(^317,000) times higher than
at the
time of analysis.
Unfortunately, my calculator overloads when I try to determine the
radioactivity this would correspond to.
Becky
From: "Rebecca M. Chamberlin"
Newsgroups: alt.paranet.ufo,sci.skeptic,sci.chem
Subject: Re: Manufactured from extraterrestrial materials?
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 17:43:52 +0000
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Geoff Price wrote:
>
> Since you invited sci.chem, I know some of us out here would
be delighted
> to hear a little bit about (or be pointed to info about) the
issues
> involved in artificially constructing metal fragments with
> "non-terrestrial" isotopic ratios. What would be the parameters
of a
> sophisticated hoax here?
>
> Mike Broussard's page at:
>
> http://www.1stnet.com/~mikeb/roswell/roswell.html
>
> gives a nice summary of the case and links to more info.
Glad you asked. First off, mass spectrometry does not give
elemental
composition information. It gives MASS information.
You cannot
directly determine elemental compositions from a mass spectrum,
without
accompanying chemical analysis. *If* the isotope patterns
are "normal"
you can make an educated guess about what elements make up the
observed
mass spec signal.
However, using mass spec data alone to "prove" that a sample contains
anomalous isotopic ratios of certain elements is analogous to playing
"Name That Tune" with no hint and only one note. In other
words, you
can select virtually any answer you want.
Here is a little game for the chemists to play. It's called
"guess the
mass spec fragment that generates the alien isotopic ratio".
Whoever
comes closest wins an all-expense paid one-way trip to the galaxy
of
their choice!
I'll go first:
My guess is [OSi2]+. This fragment could come from the surface
oxide
layer that is always present on silicon that has been exposed to
earth's
atmosphere. The isotope pattern for my fragment is:
mass %
70 0.00
72 84.82
73 8.65
74 6.11
75 0.34
76 0.09
The isotopic ratios for the alleged germanium in the UFO sample are:
70 0
72 94.46
73 3.28
74 2.11
75 0.11
76 0.04
Anyone else who wants to play can use the terrestrial isotope abundance
calculator at http://www.shef.ac.uk/~chem/chemputer/isotopes.html
(No fair using a Martian isotope abundance calculator!!)
Becky
p.s. You are much too generous in calling it a "sophisticated" hoax.
(I think a better fit can be had with C6, i.e. graphite:
72 93.5%
73 6.3%
74 0.2%
which is consistent with the blackened appearence of part of the sample.)
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