Gordon E. Brown

Structure of mineral glasses—I. The feldspar glasses NaAlSi3O8, KAlSi3O8, CaAl2Si2O8

The short range distribution of interatomic distances in three feldspar glasses has been determined by X-ray radial distribution analysis. The resulting radial distribution functions (RDFs) are interpreted by comparison with RDFs calculated for various quasi-crystalline models of the glass structure. The experimental RDFs of the alkali feldspar glasses were found to be inconsistent with the four-membered rings of tetrahedra associated with crystalline feldspars; the structures of these glasses are probably based on interconnected six-membered rings of the type found in tridymite, nepheline, or kalsilite. In contrast, the RDF of calcic feldspar glass is consistent with a four-membered ring structure of the type found in crystalline anorthite. T-O bond lengths (T = Si,Al) increase from 1.60 A in SiO2 glass [J. H. Konnert and J. Karle (1973) Acta Cryst.A29, 702–710] to 1.63 A in the alkali feldspar glasses to 1.66 A in the calcic feldspar glass due to the substitution of Al for Si in the tetrahedra] sites. The T-O-T bond angles inferred from the RDF peak positions are 151° in SiO2 glass (see reference above), 146° in the alkali feldspar glasses, and 143° in the calcic feldspar glass. Detail in the RDF at distances greater than 5 A suggests that the alkali feldspar glasses have a higher degree of long range order than the calcic feldspar glasses. Assuming that the structural details of our feldspar glasses are similar to those of the melts, the observed structural differences between the alkali feldspar and calcic feldspar glasses helps explain the differences in crystallization kinetics of anhydrous feldspar composition melts. Structural interpretations of some thermodynamic and rheologic phenomena associated with feldspar melts are also presented based on these results.

Differential redox and sorption of Cr (III/VI) on natural silicate and oxide minerals: EXAFS and XANES results

Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy was used to investigate the reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in magnetite-bearing soils from Cr-contaminated sites. Soils from two field sites were examined, showing that mixed-valence Cr(III/VI) effluent is reduced to Cr(III) when associated with the magnetite fraction of the soil, whereas the Cr effluent associated with non-Fe(II)-bearing minerals results in mixed Cr(III/VI) adsorbates or precipitated phases. The Fe{sup 2+} in magnetite, Fe{sup 2+}Fe{sub 2}{sup 3+}O{sub 4}, may act as an electron source for heterogeneous Cr(VI)-to-Cr(III) reduction, converting magnetite topotactically to maghemite, {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}{sup 3+}. The ratio of Cr(VI)/total Cr was determined by the height of the Cr(VI) XAFS pre-edge feature, which is due to a Is to 3d electronic transition. This pre-edge feature was calibrated as a function of Cr(VI)/Cr(III) using mixtures of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) model compounds. Environmental remediation of Cr-contaminated sites requires knowledge of chromium oxidation and speciation, and XAFS spectroscopy may be used to supply both types of information with minimal sample processing or data analysis. 36 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

Coordination chemistry of Ti(IV) in silicate glasses and melts: I. XAFS study of titanium coordination in oxide model compounds

Abstract The coordination environment of Ti(IV) in a variety of Ti-bearing crystalline oxide and silicate model compounds has been studied using Ti K-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy at ambient temperature and pressure in order to provide a quantitative basis for interpreting Ti K-edge XAFS spectra of silicate glasses and melts (Parts II, III, and IV) Farges and Brown, 1996; Farges et al., 1996a,b). Pre-edge features of Ti K-edge XAFS spectra can be used to derive accurate information on the local coordination environment of Ti only if both pre-edge position and heights are considered. Using these features, it is also possible to distinguish between one coordination environment vs. a mixture of several others (e.g., [5]Ti vs. [4]Ti + [6]Ti). Quantitative analysis of the Ti x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra, based on ab-initio multiple-scattering calculations for a variety of Ti-containing clusters and anharmonic analysis of the normalized XAFS oscillations, show that O first neighbors and alkali/alkaline-earth second neighbors around Ti contribute to the XAFS spectra. However, second neighbors are more prominent in the XANES region because the effects of disorder associated with these contributions are less important in this region than in the extended XAFS (EXAFS) region. Therefore, XANES spectra can be used to probe the degree of disorder in the medium-range structural environment around Ti in crystalline and amorphous materials, including Ti-bearing aperiodic structures, such as metamict, glassy, and molten compounds.

Sorption of Trace Elements on Mineral Surfaces: Modern Perspectives from Spectroscopic Studies, and Comments on Sorption in the Marine Environment

The partitioning (or sorption) of trace elements from aqueous solutions onto mineral surfaces and natural organic matter (NOM) has played a major role in determining the trace element content of natural waters. This review examines sorption processes on mineral surfaces for nine trace elements (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Hg, Pb), focusing on the results of modern x-ray spectroscopic studies. Such studies provide unique information on the structure and composition of sorption products, including their mode of attachment to mineral surfaces or functional groups in NOM under in situ conditions (i.e., with aqueous solution present at 25°C). The types of chemical reactions (acid-base, ligand exchange, redox, dissolution/reprecipitation) that can occur at mineral-aqueous solution interfaces are also reviewed, and some of the factors that affect the reactivity of mineral surfaces are discussed, including changes in the geometric and electronic structures of mineral surfaces when they first react with aqueous solutions and constraints on the bonding of adions to surface functional groups imposed by Pauling bond valence sums. A summary of electrical double layer (EDL) theory is presented, including the results of several recent x-ray spectroscopic and parameter regression studies of the EDL for metal-(oxyhydr) oxide-aqueous solution interfaces. The effects of common inorganic and organic complexants on the sorption of trace metal cations at mineral-solution interfaces are considered, in the context of spectroscopic studies where possible. The results of sorption studies of trace metal cations on NOM, common bacteria, and marine biomass are reviewed, and the effects of coatings of NOM and microbial biofilms on cation uptake on mineral surfaces are discussed, based on macroscopic and spectroscopic data. The objective here is to assess the relative importance of inorganic versus organic sorption processes in aquatic systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the effects of water composition on trace element removal mechanisms, with the aim of providing an understanding of the effects of the high salinity of seawater on trace element sorption processes. The information presented in this review indicates that sorption processes on mineral, NOM, and microbial and algal surfaces, including true adsorption and precipitation, are highly effective at removing trace elements from natural waters and generally supports Krauskopfs (1956) conclusion that such processes are likely responsible for the present trace element concentrations in seawater.

X-ray absorption fine structure study of As(V) and Se(IV) sorption complexes on hydrous Mn oxides

X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopic analysis at the As, Se, and Mn K-edges was used to study arsenate [As(V)O43−] and selenite [Se(IV)O32−] sorption complexes on the synthetic hydrous manganese oxides (HMOs) vernadite (δ-MnO2) and K-birnessite (nominal composition: K4Mn14O27 · 9H2O). No significant changes were observed in sorption complex structure as a function of sorbent, pH (5 to 8), surface coverage (0.04 to 0.73 μmol/m2), or reaction time (5 to 22 h) in the arsenate or selenite systems. In the arsenate/HMO system, extended XAFS parameters indicate an average second-neighbor As(V) coordination of 2.0 ± 0.4 Mn at an average distance of 3.16 ± 0.01 A, which is consistent with formation of As(V)O4 sorption complexes sharing corners with two adjacent Mn(IV)O6 surface species (i.e., bidentate, binuclear). In the selenite/HMO system, selenite surface complexes are surrounded by two shells of Mn atoms, which could represent two different adsorption complexes or a precipitate. The first shell consists of 1.6 ± 0.4 Mn at 3.07 ± 0.01 A, which is consistent with the selenite anion forming bidentate (mononuclear) edge-sharing complexes with Mn(II)O6 or Mn(III)O6 octahedra. The second shell consists of 1.4 ± 0.4 Mn at 3.49 ± 0.03 A, consistent with selenite forming monodentate, corner-sharing complexes with Mn(II)O6 or Mn(III)O6 octahedra. Pauling bond valence analysis that uses the extended XAFS-derived bond lengths for As(V)-O, Se(IV)-O, and Mn-O bonds indicates that the proposed surface complexes of selenite and arsenate on HMOs should be stable. Although a nearly identical Se(IV) coordination environment is found in a crystalline Mn(II)-Se(IV) precipitate (which has a structure similar to that of MnSeO3 · H2O), there are significant differences in the X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended XAFS spectra of this precipitate and the selenite/HMO sorption samples. These differences coupled with transmission electron microscopy results suggest that if a precipitate is present it lacks long-range order characteristic of crystalline MnSeO3 · H2O.

Speciation of aqueous gold(III) chlorides from ultraviolet/visible absorption and Raman/resonance Raman spectroscopies

Abstract Gold(III) speciation in a one molar NaCl aqueous solution at ambient temperature and pressure was determined as a function of pH using ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) absorption and Raman/resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopies. Gold concentrations in the solutions studied by UV/vis spectroscopy were ~10 −4 M whereas those studied by Raman spectroscopy were ~10 −2 M. Changes in the intensity and positions of ligand-to-metal charge transfer bands in the UV/vis spectra of the Au(III) chloride solutions with increasing pH are consistent with replacement of chloride by hydroxide ligands. Changes in the number, position, and intensity of Raman and RR spectra of the same solutions are also consistent with successive replacement of chloride by hydroxide ligands in the first coordination sphere of four-coordinated Au(III) with increasing pH. Our Raman and UV/vis data are broadly consistent with earlier speciation predictions based on a variety of chemical measurements, but demonstrate that the mixed chloro-hydroxo complexes are more stable than predicted on the basis of theoretically estimated stability constants.

Outer-sphere Pb(II) adsorbed at specific surface sites on single crystal α-alumina

Abstract Solvated Pb(II) ions were found to adsorb as structurally well-defined outer-sphere complexes at specific sites on the α-Al2O3 (0001) single crystal surface, as determined by grazing-incidence X-ray absorption fine structure (GI-XAFS) measurements. The XAFS results suggest that the distance between Pb(II) adions and the alumina surface is approximately 4.2 A. In contrast, Pb(II) adsorbs as more strongly bound inner-sphere complexes on α-Al2O3 (1 1 02). The difference in reactivities of the two alumina surfaces has implications for modeling surface complexation reactions of contaminants in natural environments, catalysis, and compositional sector zoning of oxide crystals.

Structural environments of incompatible elements in silicate glass/melt systems: I. Zirconium at trace levels

The structural environments of trace levels (2000 ppm) of Zr4+ in several silicate glasses were examined as a function of melt composition and polymerization using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Glass compositions investigated were albite (NaAlSi3O8: AB) and a peralkaline composition (Na3.3AlSi7O17: PR)- Zirconium was added to the oxide-carbonate mix prior to melting in the form of ZrO2 (baddeleyite). A second set of Zr-silicate glasses containing 2000 ppm Zr and 1.0 to 2.4 wt% halogens (F as NaF and Cl as NaCl) was also synthesized. These included the Zr-AB and Zr-PR base-glass compositions as well as Zr-sodium trisilicate composition (Na2Si3O7: TS). In all glasses studied, Zr is mainly 6-coordinated by oxygen atoms (d[Zr-O]

Dynamic interactions of dissolution, surface adsorption, and precipitation in an aging cobalt(II)-clay-water system

2.07 ± 0.01 A). In the most polymerized glass (AB), a small but significant amount of Zr was also found to occur in 8-coordinated sites (d[Zr-O]

Coordination chemistry of Ti(IV) in silicate glasses and melts: II. Glasses at ambient temperature and pressure

2.22 A). No clear evidence for F or Cl complexes of Zr was observed in any of the halogen-containing glasses. The regularity of the Zr site increases in the series AB < TS