[meteorite-list] PV and Iron stability

[Robert Woolard]

Hello,

  Thanks to everyone who responded to my question concerning the state of their PV specimens. Stability was unanimous, with no one experiencing any problems with rusting.  :-)

  And that brings up a related question concerning stability that I might should already know the answer to, but do not: 

  Is PV's apparent rust-resistance for at least the last 10+ years (and hopefully many more) due SIMPLY to the fact that the specimens were recovered so quickly, and were spared exposure to, and penetration of, water for hundreds to thousands of years? And if so, are ALL freshly recovered irons (or "metal veined" as in the case of PV) just inherently stable?

  Or does inherent resistance to rusting vary from one meteorite to the next based more on the exact, specific chemical makeup of the iron and any particular find may or may not be prone to rusting regardless of how quickly it was recovered?   

  Thanks in advance for any help with this,
  Robert Woolard