How could the early Sun have affected Mercury’s composition?
Because of Mercury’s proximity to the hot early Sun, some planetary scientists have proposed that its silicate materials were preferentially vaporized and lost, which would have significantly influenced the planet's bulk chemistry and high density.1
Additionally, early theories suggested that Mercury’s iron-rich composition resulted from its accretion within the extremely hot inner region of the solar nebula, where only substances with high freezing temperatures could solidify, while more volatile elements and compounds remained in a gaseous state. While modern research suggests that the components forming Mercury were likely derived from a wider area of the inner solar system, the intense heat of the early Sun remains a key factor considered in various models of the planet's formation and chemical evolution.1