Paul L. Gassman

Sorption of Cs+ to micaceous subsurface sediments from the Hanford site, USA

The sorption of Cs+ was investigated over a large concentration range (10−9−10−2 mol/L) on subsurface sediments from a United States nuclear materials site (Hanford) where high-level nuclear wastes (HLW) have been accidentally released to the vadose zone. The sediment sorbs large amounts of radiocesium, but expedited migration has been observed when HLW (a NaNO3 brine) is the carrier. Cs+ sorption was measured on homoionic sediments (Na+, K+, Ca2+) with electrolyte concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 mol/L. In Na+ electrolyte, concentrations were extended to near saturation with NaNO3(s) (7.0 mol/L). The sediment contained nonexpansible (biotite, muscovite) and expansible (vermiculite, smectite) phyllosilicates. The sorption data were interpreted according to the frayed edge-planar site conceptual model. A four-parameter, two-site (high- and low-affinity) numeric ion exchange model was effective in describing the sorption data. The high-affinity sites were ascribed to wedge zones on the micas where particle edges have partially expanded due to the removal of interlayer cations during weathering, and the low-affinity ones to planar sites on the expansible clays. The electrolyte cations competed with Cs+ for both high- and low-affinity sites according to the trend K+ >> Na+ ≥ Ca2+. At high salt concentration, Cs+ adsorption occurred only on high-affinity sites. Na+ was an effective competitor for the high-affinity sites at high salt concentrations. In select experiments, silver-thiourea (AgTU) was used as a blocking agent to further isolate and characterize the high-affinity sites, but the method was found to be problematic. Mica particles were handpicked from the sediment, contacted with Cs+(aq), and analyzed by electron microprobe to identify phases and features important to Cs+ sorption. The microprobe study implied that biotite was the primary contributor of high-affinity sites because of its weathered periphery. The poly-phase sediment exhibited close similarity in ion selectivity to illite, which has been well studied, although its proportion of high-affinity sites relative to the cation exchange capacity (CEC) was lower than that of illite. Important insights are provided on how Na+ in HLW and indigenous K+ displaced from the sediments may act to expedite the migration of strongly sorbing Cs+ in subsurface environments.

Solubilization of Fe(III) oxide-bound trace metals by a dissimilatory Fe(III)reducing bacterium

Trace metals associate with Fe(III) oxides as adsorbed or coprecipitated species, and consequently, the biogeochemical cycles of iron and the trace metals are closely linked. This communication investigated the solubilization of coprecipitated Co(III) and Ni(II) from goethite (α-FeOOH) during dissimilatory bacterial iron reduction to provide insights on biogeochemical factors controlling trace-element fluxes in anoxic environments. Suspensions of homogeneously substituted Co-FeOOH (50 mmol/L as Co0.01Fe0.99OOH; 57Co-labeled) in eight different buffer/media solutions were inoculated with a facultative, metal-reducing bacteria isolated from groundwater (Shewanella putrefacians CN32), and incubated under strictly anaerobic conditions for periods up to 32 days. Lactate (30 mmol/L) was provided as an electron donor. Growth and non-growth promoting conditions were established by adding or withholding PO4 and/or trace metals (60Co-labeled) from the incubation media. Anthraquinone disulfonate (AQDS; 100 μmol/L) was added to most suspensions as an electron shuttle to enhance bacterial reduction. Solutions were buffered at circumneutral pH with either PIPES or bicarbonate buffers. Solid and liquid samples were analyzed at intermediate and final time points for aqueous and sorbed/precipitated (by HCl extraction) Fe(II) and Co(II). The bioreduced solids were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and field-emission electron microscopy at experiment termination. Ni-FeOOH (Ni0.01Fe0.99OOH) was used for comparison in select experiments. Up to 45% of the metal containing FeOOH was bioreduced; growth-supporting conditions did not enhance reduction. The biogenic Fe(II) strongly associated with the residual Fe(III) oxide as an undefined sorbed phase at low fractional reduction in PIPES buffer, and as siderite (FeCO3) in bicarbonate buffer or as vivianite [Fe3(PO4)2 · 8H2O] when P was present. Cobalt(III) was reduced to Co(II) in proportion to its mole ratio in the solid. The release of bioreduced Co(II) to the aqueous phase showed complex dependency on the media and buffer composition and the fractional reduction of the Co-FeOOH. In most cases Co(II) was solubilized in preference to Fe(II), but in select cases it was not. These differences were rationalized in terms of competitive adsorption reactions on the residual Fe(III) oxide surface and coprecipitation in biogenic Fe(II) solids. The bioreduced Co-FeOOH surface showed unexpectedly high sorption selectivity for the biomobilized Co(II). The bioreductive solubilization of Ni(II) from Ni-FeOOH was comparable to Co-FeOOH. Our results indicate that Fe(III)-oxide-entrained trace metals can be mobilized during bacterial iron reduction leading to a net increase, in most cases, in aqueous metal concentrations. The enhancement in trace-metal aqueous concentration, e.g., in groundwater, may proportionally exceed that of Fe(II).

Micro-FTIR study of soot chemical composition—evidence of aliphatic hydrocarbons on nascent soot surfaces

Previous studies suggest that soot formed in premixed flat flames can contain a substantial amount of aliphatic compounds. Presence of these compounds may affect the kinetics of soot mass growth and oxidation in a way that is currently not understood. Using an infrared spectrometer coupled to a microscope (micro-FTIR), we examined the composition of soot sampled from a set of ethylene-argon-oxygen flames recently characterized (A. D. Abid, et al. Combust. Flame, 2008, 154, 775-788), all with an equivalence ratio Φ=2.07 but varying in maximum flame temperatures. Soot was sampled at three distances above the burner surface using a probe sampling technique and deposited on silicon nitride thin film substrates using a cascade impactor. Spectra were taken and analyses performed for samples collected on the lowest five impactor stages with the cut-off sizes of D(50)=10, 18, 32, 56 and 100 nm. The micro-FTIR spectra revealed the presence of aliphatic C–H, aromatic C–H and various oxygenated functional groups, including carbonyl (C=O), C–O–C and C–OH groups. Spectral analyses were made to examine variations of these functional groups with flame temperature, sampling position and particle size. Results indicate that increases in flame temperature leads to higher contents of non-aromatic functionalities. Functional group concentrations were found to be ordered as follows: [C=O]<[C–O]<[aliphatic C–H]. Aliphatic C–H was found to exist in significant quantities, with very little oxygenated groups present. The ratio of these chemical functionalities to aromatic C–H remains constant for particle sizes spanning 10-100 nm. The results confirm a previous experimental finding: a significant amount of aliphatic compounds is present in nascent soot formed in the flames studied, especially towards larger distances above the burner surface.

Nanoparticle‐Based Electrochemical Immunosensor for the Detection of Phosphorylated Acetylcholinesterase: An Exposure Biomarker of Organophosphate Pesticides and Nerve Agents

A nanoparticle-based electrochemical immunosensor has been developed for the detection of phosphorylated acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is a potential biomarker of exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides and chemical warfare nerve agents. Zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO(2) NPs) were used as selective sorbents to capture the phosphorylated AChE adduct, and quantum dots (ZnS@CdS, QDs) were used as tags to label monoclonal anti-AChE antibody to quantify the immunorecognition events. The sandwich-like immunoreactions were performed among the ZrO(2) NPs, which were pre-coated on a screen printed electrode (SPE) by electrodeposition, phosphorylated AChE and QD-anti-AChE. The captured QD tags were determined on the SPE by electrochemical stripping analysis of its metallic component (cadmium) after an acid-dissolution step. Paraoxon was used as the model OP insecticide to prepare the phosphorylated AChE adducts to demonstrate proof of principle for the sensor. The phosphorylated AChE adduct was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and mass spectroscopy. The binding affinity of anti-AChE to the phosphorylated AChE was validated with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The parameters (e.g., amount of ZrO(2) NP, QD-anti-AChE concentration,) that govern the electrochemical response of immunosensors were optimized. The voltammetric response of the immunosensor is highly linear over the range of 10 pM to 4 nM phosphorylated AChE, and the limit of detection is estimated to be 8.0 pM. The immunosensor also successfully detected phosphorylated AChE in human plasma. This new nanoparticle-based electrochemical immunosensor provides an opportunity to develop field-deployable, sensitive, and quantitative biosensors for monitoring exposure to a variety of OP pesticides and nerve agents.

Nanoparticle-Based Electrochemical Immunosensor for the Detection of Phosphorylated Acetylcholinesterase: An Exposure Biomarker of Organophosphate Pesticides and Nerve AgentsOrganophosphate Pesticides and Nerve Agents

A nanoparticle-based electrochemical immunosensor has been developed for the detection of phosphorylated acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is a potential biomarker of exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides and chemical warfare nerve agents. Zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO(2) NPs) were used as selective sorbents to capture the phosphorylated AChE adduct, and quantum dots (ZnS@CdS, QDs) were used as tags to label monoclonal anti-AChE antibody to quantify the immunorecognition events. The sandwich-like immunoreactions were performed among the ZrO(2) NPs, which were pre-coated on a screen printed electrode (SPE) by electrodeposition, phosphorylated AChE and QD-anti-AChE. The captured QD tags were determined on the SPE by electrochemical stripping analysis of its metallic component (cadmium) after an acid-dissolution step. Paraoxon was used as the model OP insecticide to prepare the phosphorylated AChE adducts to demonstrate proof of principle for the sensor. The phosphorylated AChE adduct was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and mass spectroscopy. The binding affinity of anti-AChE to the phosphorylated AChE was validated with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The parameters (e.g., amount of ZrO(2) NP, QD-anti-AChE concentration,) that govern the electrochemical response of immunosensors were optimized. The voltammetric response of the immunosensor is highly linear over the range of 10 pM to 4 nM phosphorylated AChE, and the limit of detection is estimated to be 8.0 pM. The immunosensor also successfully detected phosphorylated AChE in human plasma. This new nanoparticle-based electrochemical immunosensor provides an opportunity to develop field-deployable, sensitive, and quantitative biosensors for monitoring exposure to a variety of OP pesticides and nerve agents.

Hygroscopic behavior of substrate-deposited particles studied by micro-FT-IR spectroscopy and complementary methods of particle analysis.

The application of microscopic Fourier transform infrared (micro-FT-IR) spectroscopy combined with complementary methods of particle analysis is demonstrated here for investigations of phase transitions and hygroscopic growth of micron-sized particles. The approach utilizes the exposure of substrate-deposited, isolated particles to humidified nitrogen inside a sample cell followed by micro-FT-IR spectroscopy over a selected sample area. Phase transitions of NaCl, sea salt, NaNO3, and (NH4)2SO4 particles are monitored with this technique to evaluate its utility and applicability for particle hydration studies. The results are found in excellent agreement with literature data in terms of (a) reliable and reproducible detection of deliquescence and efflorescence phase transitions, (b) quantitative measurements of water-to-solute ratios in particles as a function of relative humidity, and (c) changes in the IR spectra resulting from phase transitions and changing relative humidity. Additional methods of particle analysis are employed to complement and assist in the interpretation of particle hygroscopicity data obtained from micro-FT-IR measurements. The analytical approach and the experimental setup presented here are relatively simple, inexpensive, readily available and therefore may be practical for hydration studies of environmental particles collected in both laboratory and field studies.

Oxidation and adsorption of Co(II)EDTA2− complexes in subsurface materials with iron and manganese oxide grain coatings

Batch interaction experiments were performed under aerobic conditions to characterize the adsorption behavior and valence speciation of CoEDTA complexes (equimolar at 10−5 mol/L) in a series of Pliocene subsurface sediments containing various amounts of Fe and Mn oxides. The experiments were performed in 0.003 mol/L Ca(ClO4)2 with a solids concentration of 500 g/L at variable pH (4–9) and at the natural pH of the sediments (pH = 8.3). Three of these subaerial sediments (Ringold 1, 2, 3) contained significant quantities of extractable Fe and Mn, while the fourth (Ringold 4) was virtually devoid of sesquioxide precipitates. Microscopic and mineralogic analyses of the most heavily encrusted material (Ringold 2) showed that the oxides existed as intergrain cements and contained crystalline goethite and rancieite/todorokite. Adsorption on a synthetic analog sorbent (0.6 mass % ferrihydrite-coated sand) over a range in pH showed that, while both Co(II)EDTA2− and Co(III)EDTA− sorb as anions, the divalent Co complex forms stronger surface complexes with FeOH sites. In the subsurface sediments containing both Fe and Mn oxides, however, the sorption of Co(II)EDTA2− and Co(III)EDTA− was low and equivalent, suggesting transformation to a common valence form. Ion chromatography documented that Co(III)EDTA− was the equilibrium species and that the oxidation of Co(II)EDTA2− was rapid. Sorption of Co(II)EDTA2− in the Ringold 4 sediment was different: no oxidation was seen and Al(aq)3+ promoted dissociation of the complex. Sorption experiments with Co(III)EDTA− and Ni(II)EDTA2− on Ringold 2 sediment demonstrated that the natural Fe oxide fraction was a poor anion sorbent, in contrast to ferrihydrite coated sand. Experimental evidence suggests Co(II)EDTA2− remains intact during oxidation and that dissolved Si, and Si coreacted with the Fe oxides, influence McEDTA sorption. It is concluded that Mn oxides could greatly accelerate the potential migration of CoEDTA complexes in subsurface systems.

Reactive landing of peptide ions on self-assembled monolayer surfaces: an alternative approach for covalent immobilization of peptides on surfaces

Soft landing of mass-selected peptide ions onto reactive self-assembled monolayer surfaces (SAMs) was performed using a newly constructed ion deposition apparatus. SAM surfaces before and after soft landing were characterized ex situ using time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). We demonstrate that reactive landing (RL) results in efficient covalent linking of lysine-containing peptides onto the SAM of N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester-terminated alkylthiol on gold (NHS-SAM). Systematic studies of the factors that affect the efficiency of RL revealed that the reaction takes place upon collision and is promoted by the kinetic energy of the ion. The efficiency of RL is maximized at ca. 40 eV collision energy. At high collision energies the RL efficiency decreases because of the competition with scattering of ions off the surface. The reaction yield is independent of the charge state of the projectile ions, suggesting that peptide ions undergo efficient neutralization upon collision. Chemical and physical properties of the SAM surface are also important factors that affect the outcome of RL. The presence of chemically reactive functional groups on the SAM surface significantly improves the reaction efficiency. RL of mass- and energy-selected peptide ions on surfaces provides a highly specific approach for covalent immobilization of biological molecules onto SAM surfaces.

FTIR spectral components of schwertmannite.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral components of three dominant groups of sulfate species in synthetic schwertmannite (Fe(8)O(8)(OH)(6-x)(SO(4))(x)*nH(2)O) are presented. These components were extracted by multivariate curve resolution analysis of spectra obtained from N(2)(g)-dry samples initially reacted in aqueous solutions (pH 3-9) at room temperature. Each component contains complex sets of bands that correspond to mixtures of similar species. We tentatively assign these components to sulfate ions that are hydrogen- (components I and III) and iron-bonded (component I) to schwertmannite. Another component (II) is assigned to protonated sulfate species. Heating experiments to 130 degrees C moreover confirmed this possibility for component II. The spectral components extracted from this study can be used to identify dominant sulfate species in FTIR spectra of naturally occurring schwertmannite samples.

A cryogenic fluorescence spectroscopic study of uranyl carbonate, phosphate and oxyhydroxide minerals

Abstract In this work we applied time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLIF) at both room temperature (RT) and near liquid-helium temperature (6 K) to characterize a series of natural and synthetic minerals of uranium carbonate, phosphate and oxyhydroxides including rutherfordine, zellerite, liebigite, phosphuranylite, meta-autunite, meta-torbernite, uranyl phosphate, sodium-uranyl-phosphate, becquerelite, schoepite, meta-schoepite, dehydrated schoepite and compreignacite, and have compared the spectral characteristics among these minerals as well as our previously published data on uranyl silicates. For the carbonate minerals, the fluorescence spectra of rutherfordine showed significant difference from those of zellerite and liebigite. The fluorescence spectra of the phosphate minerals closely resemble each other despite the differences in their composition and structure. For all uranium oxyhydroxides, the fluorescence spectra are largely red-shifted as compared to those of the uranium carbonates and phosphates and their vibronic bands are broad and less resolved at RT. The enhanced spectra resolution at 6 K allows more accurate determination of the fluorescence band origin and offers a complemental method to measure the O=U=O symmetrical stretch frequency, ν1, from the spacings of the vibronic bands of the fluorescence spectra. The average ν1 values appear to be inversely correlated with the average pKa values of the anions.