Weak interfacial water ordering on isostructural hematite and corundum (0 0 1) surfaces

Ordering of interfacial water at the hematite and corundum (0 0 1)-water interfaces has been characterized using in situ high resolution specular X-ray reflectivity measurements. The hematite (0 0 1) surface was prepared through an annealing process to produce a surface isostructural with corundum (0 0 1), facilitating direct comparison. Interfacial water was found to display a similar structure on this pair of isostructural surfaces. A single layer of adsorbed water having a large vibrational amplitude was present on each surface and additional ordering of water extended at least 1 nm into the bulk fluid, with the degree of ordering decreasing with increasing distance from the surfaces. Consistent with prior studies of the (0 1 2) and (1 1 0) surfaces of hematite and corundum, the configuration of water above the (0 0 1) surfaces is primarily controlled by the surface structure, specifically the arrangement of surface functional groups. However, interfacial water at the (0 0 1) surfaces displayed significantly larger vibrational amplitudes throughout the interfacial region than at other isostructural sets of hematite and corundum surfaces, indicating weaker ordering. Comparison of the vibrational amplitudes of adsorbed water on a series of oxide, silicate, and phosphate mineral surfaces suggests that the presence or absence of a substantial interfacial electrostatic field is the primary control on water ordering and not the surface structure itself. On surfaces for which charge originates dominantly through protonation-deprotonation reactions the controlling factor appears to be whether conditions exist where most functional groups are uncharged as opposed to the net surface charge. The doubly coordinated functional groups on hematite and corundum (0 0 1) surfaces are largely uncharged under slightly acidic to circumneutral pH conditions, leading to weak ordering, whereas singly coordinated groups on (0 1 2) and (1 1 0) surfaces of these phases are always charged, even when the net surface charge is zero, and induce strong water ordering. Surfaces lacking structural charge can thus be divided into two distinct classes that induce either strong or weak ordering of interfacial water. Surface functional group coordination is the ultimate control on this division as it determines the charge state of such groups under different protonation configurations. Ion adsorption and electron transfer processes may differ between these classes of surfaces because of the effect of water ordering strength on interfacial capacitances and hydrogen bonding.     

Interfacial water structure on the (0 1 2) surface of hematite: Ordering and reactivity in comparison with corundum

Many geochemical reactions that control the composition of natural waters, contaminant fate and transport, and biogeochemical element cycling take place at the interface between minerals and aqueous solutions. A fundamental understanding of these important processes requires knowledge of the structure of mineral-water interfaces. High-resolution specular X-ray reflectivity was used to determine the structure of the hematite (0 1 2)-water interface. Relaxation of the surface was observed to be minor, and water was found to order near the hematite surface. Two sites of adsorbed water are inferred to be ordered laterally, one bridging between triply coordinated functional groups and the other bridging between the singly coordinated functional groups on the surface, as steric constraints limit the possible arrangements of water molecules occurring at the observed heights above the hematite surface. Relaxations of the hematite and corundum (0 1 2) surfaces, which are isostructural, are similar and limited primarily to the top most layer of the structures. No significant changes to the interfacial stoichiometry (i.e., partial occupancy of surface species) are observed in either case. The structure of interfacial water is similar on the hematite and corundum (0 1 2) surfaces as well, although water appeared to be less well ordered on the hematite surface. This may be due to expected differences in the oxygen exchange rates from surface functional groups or the apparent better matching of the corundum oxygen lattice to the natural structural ordering in water, and suggests that the dielectric constant gradients of interfacial water may differ on the two surfaces. Similar charging behavior is expected for these surfaces as similar types of surface functional groups are exposed. Although generally similar, subtle differences in the reactivity of hematite and corundum (0 1 2) surfaces to arsenate adsorption, and possibly the adsorption of other species, may be related to the difference in ordering of interfacial water observed in this study.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the orthoclase (0 0 1)- and (0 1 0)-water interfaces

Molecular dynamics simulations of water in contact with the (0 0 1) and (0 1 0) surfaces of orthoclase (KAlSi₃O₈) were carried out to investigate the structure and dynamics of the feldspar-water interface, contrast the intrinsic structural properties of the two surfaces, and provide a basis for future work on the diffusion of ions and molecules in microscopic mineral fractures. Electron density profiles were computed from the molecular dynamics trajectories and compared with those derived experimentally from high-resolution X-ray reflectivity measurements by Fenter and co-workers [Fenter P., Cheng L., Park C., Zhang H. and Sturchio N. C. (2003a) Structure of the orthoclase (0 0 1)- and (0 1 0)-water interfaces by high-resolution X-ray reflectivity. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta67, 4267-4275]. For each surface, three scenarios were considered whereby the interfacial species is potassium, water, or a hydronium ion. Excellent agreement was obtained for the (0 0 1) surface when potassium is the predominant interfacial species; however, some discrepancies in the position of the interfacial peaks were obtained for the (0 1 0) surface. The two surfaces showed similarities in the extent of water ordering at the interface, the activation energies for water and potassium desorption, and the adsorption localization of interfacial species. However, there are also important differences between the two surfaces in the coordination of a given adsorbed species, adsorption site densities, and the propensity for water molecules in surface cavities and those in the first hydration layer to coordinate to surface bridging oxygen atoms. These differences may have implications for the extent of dissolution in the low-pH regime since hydrolysis of Si(Al)OSi(Al) bonds is a major dissolution mechanism.     

Bridging arsenate surface complexes on the hematite (0 1 2) surface

The fate of the oxoanion arsenate in diverse systems is strongly affected by its adsorption on the surfaces of iron (oxyhydr)oxide minerals. Predicting this behavior in the environment requires an understanding of the mechanisms of arsenate adsorption. In this study, the binding site and adsorption geometry of arsenate on the hematite (0 1 2) surface is investigated. The structure and termination of the hematite (0 1 2)-water interface were determined by high resolution X-ray reflectivity, revealing that two distinct terminations exist in a roughly 3:1 proportion. The occurrence of multiple terminations appears to be a result of sample preparation, and is not intrinsic to the hematite (0 1 2) surface. X-ray standing wave (XSW) measurements were used to determine the registry of adsorbed arsenate to the hematite structure, and thus the binding site and geometry of the resulting surface complex. Arsenate forms a bridging bidentate complex on two adjacent singly coordinated oxygen groups on each of the two distinct terminations present at the hematite surface. Although this geometry is consistent with that seen in past studies, the derived As-Fe distances are longer, the result of the topology of the FeO₆ octahedra on the (0 1 2) surface. As EXAFS-derived As-Fe distances are often used to determine the adsorption mechanism in environmental samples (e.g., mine tailings, contaminated sediments), this demonstrates the importance of considering the possible sorbent surface structures and arrangements of adsorbates when interpreting such data.As multiple functional groups are present and multiple binding geometries are possible on the hematite (0 1 2) surface, the XSW data suggest that formation of bridging bidentate surface complexes on singly coordinated oxygen sites is the preferred adsorption mechanism on this and most other hematite surfaces (provided those surfaces contain adjacent singly coordinated oxygen groups). These measurements also constrain the likely reaction stoichiometry, with only the protonation state of the surface complex undetermined. Although bridging bidentate inner-sphere surface complexes comprised the majority of the adsorbed arsenate present on the hematite (0 1 2) surface, there is an additional population of sorbed arsenate species that could not be characterized by the XSW measurements. These species are likely more disordered, and thus more weakly bound, than the bridging bidentate complexes, and may play a role in determining the fate, transport, and bioavailability of arsenate in the environment. Finally, the possibility of obtaining species-specific XSW measurements by tuning the incident beam energy to specific features in a XANES spectrum is described.     

Fe(II) adsorption on hematite (0 0 0 1)

The surface structure of α-Fe₂O₃(0 0 0 1) was studied using crystal truncation rod (CTR) X-ray diffraction before and after reaction with aqueous Fe(II) at pH 5. The CTR results show the unreacted α-Fe₂O₃(0 0 0 1) surface consists of two chemically distinct structural domains: an O-layer terminated domain and a hydroxylated Fe-layer terminated domain. After exposing the α-Fe₂O₃(0 0 0 1) surface to aqueous Fe(II), the surface structure of both co-existing structural domains was modified due to adsorption of Fe at crystallographic lattice sites of the substrate, resulting in six-coordinated adsorbed Fe at the surface. The average Fe-O bond lengths of the adsorbed Fe are consistent with typical Fe(III)-O bond lengths (in octahedral coordination), providing evidence for the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) upon adsorption. These results highlight the important role of substrate surface structure in controlling Fe(II) adsorption. Furthermore, the molecular scale structural characterization of adsorbed Fe provides insight into the process of Fe(II) induced structural modification of hematite surfaces, which in turn aids in assessing the effective reactivity of hematite surfaces in Fe(II) rich environments.     

A simple model for the effect of hydration on the distribution of ferrous iron at reduced hematite (0 1 2) surfaces

Using a simple ionic model with polarizable oxygen ions and dissociating water molecules, we have calculated the energetics governing the distribution of Fe(II)/Fe(III) ions at the reduced (2 × 1) surface of α-Fe₂O₃ (hematite) (0 1 2) under dry and hydrated conditions. The results show that systems with Fe(II) ions located in the near-surface region have lower potential energy for both dry and hydrated surfaces. The distribution is governed by coupling of the ferrous iron centers to positive charge associated with missing oxygen atoms on the dry reduced (2 × 1) (0 2 1) surface. As the surface is hydroxylated, the missing oxygen rows are filled and protons from dissociated water molecules become the positive charge centers, which couple more weakly to the ferrous iron centers. At the same time, the first-layer iron centers change from fourfold or fivefold coordination to sixfold coordination lowering the potential energy of ferric iron in the first layer and favoring migration of ferrous iron from the immediate surface sites. This effect can also be understood as reflecting stronger solvation of Fe(III) by the adsorbed water molecules and by hydrolysis reactions favoring Fe(III) ions at the immediate surface. The balance between these two driving forces, which changes as a function of hydration, provides a compelling explanation for the anomalous coverage dependence of water desorption in ultra-high vacuum experiments.     

Computer simulations of the interactions of the (0 1 2) and (0 0 1) surfaces of jarosite with Al, Cd, Cu and Zn

Jarosite is an important mineral on Earth, and possibly on Mars, where it controls the mobility of iron, sulfate and potentially toxic metals. Atomistic simulations have been used to study the incorporation of Al³⁺, and the M²⁺ impurities Cd, Cu and Zn, in the (0 1 2) and (0 0 1) surfaces of jarosite. The calculations show that the incorporation of Al on an Fe site is favorable on all surfaces in which terminal Fe ions are exposed, and especially on the (0 0 1) [Fe₃(OH)₃]⁶⁺ surface. Incorporation of Cd, Cu or Zn on a K site balanced by a K vacancy is predicted to stabilize the surfaces, but calculated endothermic solution energies and the high degree of distortion of the surfaces following incorporation suggest that these substitutions will be limited. The calculations also suggest that incorporation of Cd, Cu and Zn on an Fe site balanced by an OH vacancy, or by coupled substitution on both K and Fe sites, is unfavorable, although this might be compensated for by growth of a new layer of jarosite or goethite, as predicted for bulk jarosite. The results of the simulations show that surface structure will exert an influence on uptake of impurities in the order Cu > Cd > Zn, with the most favorable surfaces for incorporation being (0 1 2) [KFe(OH)₄]⁰ and (0 0 1) [Fe₃(OH)₃]⁶⁺.     

Structure, charge distribution, and electron hopping dynamics in magnetite (Fe3O4) (1 0 0) surfaces from first principles

For the purpose of improving fundamental understanding of the redox reactivity of magnetite, quantum-mechanical calculations were applied to predict Fe²⁺ availability and electron hopping rates at magnetite (1 0 0) surfaces, with and without the presence of adsorbed water. Using a low free energy surface reconstruction (½-Fe_tet layer relaxed into the Fe_oct (1 0 0) plane), the relaxed outermost layer of both the hydrated and vacuum-terminated surfaces were found to be predominantly enriched in Fe²⁺ within the octahedral sublattice, irrespective of the presence of adsorbed water. At room temperature, mobile electrons move through the octahedral sublattice by Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺ valence interchange small polaron hopping, calculated at 10¹⁰-10¹² hops/s for bulk and bulk-like (i.e., near-surface) environments. This process is envisioned to control sustainable overall rates of interfacial redox reactions. These rates decrease by up to three orders of magnitude (10⁹ hops/s) at the (1 0 0) surface, and no significant difference is observed for vacuum-terminated versus hydrated cases. Slower hopping rates at the surface appear to arise primarily from larger reorganization energies associated with octahedral Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺ valence interchange in relaxed surface configurations, and secondarily on local charge distribution patterns surrounding Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺ valence interchange pairs. These results suggest that, with respect to the possibility that the rate and extent of surface redox reactions depend on Fe²⁺ availability and its replenishment rate, bulk electron hopping mobility is an upper-limit for magnetite and slower surface rates may need to be considered as potentially rate-limiting. They also suggest that slower hopping mobilities calculated for surface environments may be amenable to Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺ site discrimination by conventional spectroscopic probes.     

Surface simulation studies of the hydration of white rust Fe(OH)2, goethite α-FeO(OH) and hematite α-Fe2O3

Computer modelling techniques were used to elucidate the hydration behaviour of three iron (hydr)oxide minerals at the atomic level: white rust, goethite and hematite. A potential model was first adapted and tested against the bulk structures and properties of eight different iron oxides, oxyhydroxides and hydroxides, followed by surface simulations of Fe(OH)₂, α-FeO(OH) and α-Fe₂O₃. The major interaction between the adsorbing water molecules and the surface is through interaction of their oxygen ions with surface iron ions, followed by hydrogen-bonding to surface oxygen ions. The energies released upon the associative adsorption of water range from 1 to 17 kJ mol⁻¹ for Fe(OH)₂, 26 to 80 kJ mol⁻¹ for goethite and 40 to 85 kJ mol⁻¹ for hematite, reflecting the increasing oxidation of the iron mineral. Dissociative adsorption at goethite and hematite surfaces releases larger hydration energies, ranging from 120 to 208 kJ mol⁻¹ for goethite and 76 to 190 kJ mol⁻¹ for hematite.The thermodynamic morphologies of the minerals, based on the calculated surface energies, agree well with experimental morphologies, where these are available. When the partial pressures required for adsorption of water from the gas phase are plotted against temperature for the goethite and hematite surfaces, taking into account experimental entropies for water, it appears that these minerals may well be instrumental in the retention of water during the cyclic variations in the atmosphere of Mars.     

Cation sorption on the muscovite (0 0 1) surface in chloride solutions using high-resolution X-ray reflectivity

The structure and mechanism of cation sorption at the (0 0 1) muscovite-water interface were investigated in 0.01 and 0.5 m KCl, CsCl, and CaCl₂ and 0.01 m BaCl₂ solutions at slightly acidic pH by high-resolution X-ray reflectivity. Structural relaxations of atom positions in the 2M₁ muscovite were small (?0.07 Å) and occurred over a distance of 30 to 40 Å perpendicular to the interface. Cations in all solutions were sorbed dominantly in the first and second solution layers adjacent to the mineral surface. The derived heights of the first solution layer in KCl and CsCl solutions, 1.67(6)-1.77(7) and 2.15(9)-2.16(2) Å, respectively, differ in magnitude by the approximate difference in crystallographic radii between K and Cs, and correspond closely to the interlayer cation positions in bulk K- and Cs-mica structures. The first solution layer heights in CaCl₂ and BaCl₂ solutions, 2.46(5)-2.56(11) and 2.02(5) Å, respectively, differ in a sense opposite to that expected based on crystallographic or hydrated radii of the divalent cations. The derived ion heights in all solutions imply that there is no intercalated water layer between the first solution layer and the muscovite surface. Molecular compositions were assigned to the first two solution layers in the electron density profiles using models that constrain the number density of sorbed cations, water molecules, and anions by considering the permanent negative charge of the muscovite and average solution density. The models result in partial charge balance (at least 50%) by cations sorbed in the first two layers in the 0.01 m solutions and approximately full charge balance in the 0.5 m solutions. Damped oscillations of model water density away from the first two solution layers agree with previous X-ray reflectivity results on the muscovite (0 0 1) surface in pure water.     

Adsorption of Rb and Sr at the orthoclase (0 0 1)-solution interface

Adsorption of Rb⁺ and Sr²⁺ at the orthoclase (0 0 1)-solution interface is probed with high-resolution X-ray reflectivity and resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity. Specular X-ray reflectivity data for orthoclase in contact with 0.01 m RbCl solution at pH 5.5 reveal a systematic increase in electron density adjacent to the mineral surface with respect to that observed in contact with de-ionized water (DIW). Quantitative analysis indicates that Rb⁺ adsorbs at a height of 0.83 ± 0.03 Å with respect to the bulk K⁺ site with a nominal coverage of 0.72 ± 0.10 ions per surface unit mesh (55.7 Å²). These results are consistent with an ion-exchange reaction in which Rb⁺ occupies an inner-sphere adsorption (IS) site. In contrast, X-ray reflectivity data for orthoclase in contact with 0.01 m Sr(NO₃)₂ solution at pH 5.3 reveal few significant changes with respect to DIW. Resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity was used to probe Sr²⁺ adsorption and to image its vertical distribution. This element-specific measurement reveals that Sr²⁺ adsorbs with a total coverage of 0.37 ± 0.02 ions per surface unit mesh, at a substantially larger height (3.28 ± 0.05 Å) than found for Rb⁺, and with a relatively broad density distribution (having a root-mean-square width of 1.88 ± 0.08 Å for a single-peak model), implying that Sr²⁺ adsorbs primarily as a fully-hydrated outer-sphere (OS), species. Comparison to a two-height model suggests that 13 ± 5% of the adsorbed Sr²⁺ may be present as an IS species. This partitioning implies a ∼5 kJ/mol difference in free energy between the IS and OS Sr²⁺ on orthoclase. Differences in the partitioning of Sr²⁺ between IS and OS species for orthoclase (0 0 1) and muscovite (0 0 1) suggest control by the geometry of the IS adsorption site. Results for the OS distribution are compared to predictions of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation in the strong coupling regime, which predicts an intrinsically narrow vertical diffuse ion distribution; the OS distribution might thus be thought of as the diffuse ion profile in the limit of high surface charge.     

Uranyl adsorption at (0 1 0) edge surfaces of kaolinite: A density functional study

We report density functional investigations of kaolinite edge surfaces and uranyl adsorption thereon. Applying periodic slab models, we studied the (0 1 0) surface of kaolinite as an example of kaolinite edge facets which are expected to be highly reactive and to adsorb preferentially metal ions. Among the four terminations of the (0 1 0) surface, we selected the two most likely ones and determined their structures to be affected by solvation. On these modified surfaces, we explored bidentate inner-sphere adsorption complexes of uranyl, at single metal center sites, Al(O,OH), and sites of mixed type, AlOH-SiO. On one of the terminations hydrolysis of uranyl was found to occur. Comparison of key calculated structure parameters with available experimental data suggests an extension of the prevailing interpretation and implies that a set of uranyl complexes may coexist on edge surfaces.     

Interaction of muscovite (0 0 1) with Pu bearing solutions at pH 3 through ex-situ observations

The interaction of Pu³⁺ bearing solutions with the muscovite (0 0 1) basal plane is explored using a combination of ex-situ approaches including alpha-counting, to determine the Pu³⁺ adsorption isotherm, and X-ray reflectivity (XR) and resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity (RAXR), to probe the interfacial structure and Pu-specific distribution, respectively. Pu uptake to the muscovite (0 0 1) surface from Pu³⁺ solutions in a 0.1 M NaClO₄ background electrolyte at pH 3 follows an approximate Langmuir isotherm with an apparent adsorption constant, K_app = 5 × 10⁴ M⁻¹, and with a maximum coverage that is consistent with the amount needed to fully compensate the surface charge by trivalent Pu. The XR results show that the muscovite surface reacted with a 10⁻³ M Pu³⁺ solution (at pH 3 with 0.1 M NaClO₄) and dried in the ambient environment, maintains a 30-40 Å thick layer, indicating the presence of a residual hydration layer (possibly including adventitious carbon). The RAXR results indicate that Pu sorbs on the muscovite surface with an intrinsically broad distribution with an average height of 18 Å, substantially larger than heights expected for any specifically adsorbed inner- or outer-sphere complexes. These results are discussed in the context of recent studies of cation adsorption trends on muscovite and the possible roles of Pu hydrolysis species in controlling the Pu-muscovite interactions.     

Structure and oxidation state of hematite surfaces reacted with aqueous Fe(II) at acidic and neutral pH

Structural changes and surface oxidation state were examined following the reaction of hematite (0 0 1), (0 1 2), and (1 1 0) with aqueous Fe(II). X-ray reflectivity measurements indicated that Fe(II) induces changes in the structure of all three surfaces under both acidic (pH 3) and neutral (pH 7) conditions. The structural changes were generally independent of pH although the extent of surface transformation varied slightly between acidic and neutral conditions; no systematic trends with pH were observed. Induced changes on the (1 1 0) and (0 1 2) surfaces include the addition or removal of partial surface layers consistent with either growth or dissolution. In contrast, a <1 nm thick, discontinuous film formed on the (0 0 1) surface that appears to be epitaxial yet is not a perfect extension of the underlying hematite lattice, being either structurally defective, compositionally distinct, or nanoscale in size and highly relaxed. Resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity measurements determined that the surface concentration of Fe(II) present after reaction at pH 7 was below the detection limit of approximately 0.5-1 μmol/m² on all surfaces. These observations are consistent with Fe(II) oxidative adsorption, whereby adsorbed Fe(II) is oxidized by structural Fe(III) in the hematite lattice, with the extent of this reaction controlled by surface structure at the atomic scale. The observed surface transformations at pH 3 show that Fe(II) oxidatively adsorbs on hematite surfaces at pH values where little net adsorption occurs, based on historical macroscopic Fe(II) adsorption behavior on fine-grained hematite powders. This suggests that Fe(II) plays a catalytic role, in which an electron from an adsorbed Fe(II) migrates to and reduces a lattice Fe(III) cation elsewhere, which subsequently desorbs in a scenario with zero net reduction and zero net adsorption. Given the general pH-independence and substantial mass transfer involved, this electron and atom exchange process appears to be a significant subsystem within macroscopic pH-dependent Fe(II) adsorption.     

Effects of substrate structure and composition on the structure, dynamics, and energetics of water at mineral surfaces: A molecular dynamics modeling study

Molecular dynamics computer simulations of the molecular structure, diffusive dynamics and hydration energetics of water adsorbed on (0 0 1) surfaces of brucite Mg(OH)₂, gibbsite Al(OH)₃, hydrotalcite Mg₂Al(OH)₆Cl · 2H₂O, muscovite KAl₂(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH)₂, and talc Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂ provide new insight into the relationships between the substrate structure and composition and the molecular-scale structure and properties of the interfacial water. For the three hydroxide phases studied here, the differences in the structural charge on the octahedral sheet, cation occupancies and distributions, and the orientations of OH groups all affect the surface water structure. The density profiles of water molecules perpendicular to the surface are very similar, due to the prevalent importance of H-bonding between the surface and the water and to their similar layered crystal structures. However, the predominant orientations of the surface water molecules and the detailed two-dimensional near-surface structure are quite different. The atomic density profiles and other structural characteristics of water at the two sheet silicate surfaces are very different, because the talc (0 0 1) surface is hydrophobic whereas the muscovite (0 0 1) surface is hydrophilic. At the hydrophilic and electrostatically neutral brucite and gibbsite (0 0 1) surfaces, both donating and accepting H-bonds from the H₂O molecules are important for the development of a continuous hydrogen bonding network across the interfacial region. For the hydrophilic but charged hydrotalcite and muscovite (0 0 1) surfaces, only accepting or donating H-bonds from the water molecules contribute to the formation of the H-bonding network at the negatively and positively charged interfaces, respectively. For the hydrophobic talc (0 0 1) surface, H-bonds between water molecules and the surface sites are very weak, and the H-bonds among H₂O molecules dominate the interfacial H-bonding network. For all the systems studied, the orientation of the interfacial water molecules in the first few layers is influenced by both the substrate surface charge and the ability by the surfaces to facilitate H-bond formation. The first layer of water molecules at all surfaces is well ordered in the xy plane (parallel to the surface) and the atomic density distributions reflect the substrate crystal structure. The enhanced ordering of water molecules at the interfaces indicates reduced orientational and translational entropy. In thin films, water molecules are more mobile parallel to the surface than perpendicular to it due to spatial constraints. At neutral, hydrophilic substrates, single-monolayer surface coverage stabilizes the adsorbed water molecules and results in a minimum of the surface hydration energy. In contrast, at the charged and hydrophilic muscovite surface, the hydration energy increases monotonically with increasing water coverage over the range of coverages studied. At the neutral and hydrophobic talc surface, the adsorption of H₂O is unfavorable at all surface coverages, and the hydration energy decreases monotonically with increasing coverage.     

In situ Atomic Force Microscopy study of dissolution of the barite (0 0 1) surface in water at 30 °C

The dissolution behavior of the barite (0 0 1) surface in pure water at 30 °C was investigated using in situ Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), to better understand the dissolution mechanism and the microtopographical changes that occur during the dissolution, such as steps and etch pits. The dissolution of the barite (0 0 1) surface started with the slow retreat of steps, after which, about 60 min later, the <hk0> steps of one unit cell layer or multi-layers became two-step fronts (fast “f” and slow “s” steps) with a half-unit cell layer showing different retreat rates. The “f” step had a fast retreat rate (≈(14 ± 1) × 10⁻² nm/s) and tended to have a jagged step edge, whereas the “s” step (≈(1.8 ± 0.1) × 10⁻² nm/s) had a relatively straight front. The formation of the “f” steps led to the formation of a new one-layer step, where the front of the “s” step was overtaken by that of the immediate underlying “f” step. The “f” steps also led to the decrease of the <hk0> steps and the increase in the percentage of stable steps parallel to the [0 1 0] direction during the dissolution.Etch pits, which could be observed after about 90 min, were of three types: triangular etch pits with a depth of a half-unit cell, shallow etch pits, and deep etch pits. The triangular etch pits were bounded by the step edges parallel to [0 1 0], [1 2 0], and [] and had opposite orientations in the upper half and lower half layers. Shallow etch pits that had a depth of two or more half-unit cell layers had any two consecutive pits pointing in the opposite direction of each other. The triangular etch pit appeared to grow by simultaneously removal of a row of ions parallel to each direction from the three step edges. At first, deep etch pits were elongated in the [0 1 0] direction with a curved outline and then gradually developed to an angular form bounded by the {1 0 0}, {3 1 0}, and (0 0 1) faces. The retreat rate of the (0 0 1) face was much slower than those of the {1 0 0} and {3 1 0} and tended to separate into two rates ((0.13 ± 0.01) × 10⁻² nm/s for the deep etch pits derived from a screw dislocation and (0.07 ± 0.01) × 10⁻² nm/s for those from other line defects).The changes in the dissolution rate of a barite (0 0 1) surface during the dissolution were estimated using the retreat rates and densities of the various steps as well as the growth rates, density, and areas of the lateral faces of the deep etch pits that were obtained from this AFM analysis. Our results showed that the dissolution rate of the barite (0 0 1) surface gradually increased and approached the bulk dissolution rate because of the change in the main factor determining the dissolution rate from the density of the steps to the growth and the density of the deep etch pits on the surface.     

Structure and dynamics of water on muscovite mica surfaces

The structure and dynamics of water on muscovite mica (0 0 1) surfaces have been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. X-ray reflectivity profiles highly reflecting the interfacial structure are directly calculated and compared with those of experiments. The direct comparison has validated the usefulness of MD simulations to understand the real interfacial structure of the mica−water system. We observed five distinguished peaks in the density profile of oxygen present in water, and these peaks are attributable to the water molecules directly adsorbed on mica, hydrated to the K⁺ ions on the mica surface, and ordered due to hydrogen bonds between hydrated K⁺ ions. The hydrated K⁺ ions make an inner-sphere complex and have an explicit first hydration shell with a radius of 3.6 Å and a hydration number of 2.9. The change of the viscosity of water located above 1 nm apart from the mica surface was not observed. This feature is in good agreement with a recent experimental study in which the shear measurement was conducted using a surface forces apparatus. The increase of the viscosity by a factor of ca. 2-3 relative to that of the bulk water was observed at water located within 1 nm from the isolated mica surface.     

A combined FTIR and TPD study on the bulk and surface dehydroxylation and decarbonation of synthetic goethite

The thermal dehydroxylation of a goethite-carbonate solid solution was studied with combined Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR)-Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments. The TPD data revealed dehydroxylation peaks involving the intrinsic dehydroxylation of goethite at 560 K and a low temperature peak at 485 K which was shown to be associated to the release of non-stoichiometric water from the goethite bulk and surface. The FTIR and the TPD data of goethite in the absence of adsorbed carbonate species revealed the presence of adventitious carbonate mostly sequestered in the goethite bulk. The release of carbonate was however not only related to the dehydration of goethite but also from the crystallization of hematite at temperatures exceeding 600 K. The relative abundance of surface hydroxyls was shown to change systematically upon goethite dehydroxylation with a preferential stripping of singly-coordinated OH sites followed by a dramatic change in the dominance of the different surface hydroxyls upon the formation of hematite.     

Structure of the orthoclase (001)- and (010)-water interfaces by high-resolution X-ray reflectivity

High-resolution in situ X-ray specular reflectivity was used to measure the structures of orthoclase (001) and (010) cleavage surfaces in contact with deionized water at 25°C. X-ray reflectivity data demonstrate a high degree of structural similarity between these two orthoclase-water interfaces. Both interfacial structures include cleavage along the plane of minimal bond breakage resulting in surfaces terminated by non-bridging oxygens; structured water within 5 Å of the orthoclase surface (consisting of adsorbed species at the surface and layered water above the surface), with a featureless water profile beyond 5 Å; substitution of outermost K⁺ ions by an oxygen containing species (presumably H₃O⁺); and small structural displacements of the near surface atoms. The interfacial water structure, in comparison with recent results for other mineral-water interfaces, is intermediate between the minimal structure found at calcite-, barite-, and quartz-water interfaces and the more extensive structure found at the muscovite-water interface.     

Iron weathering products in a CO2 + (H2O or H2O2) atmosphere: Implications for weathering processes on the surface of Mars

Various iron-bearing primary phases and rocks have been weathered experimentally to simulate possible present and past weathering processes occurring on Mars. We used magnetite, monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites, and metallic iron as it is suggested that meteoritic input to the martian surface may account for an important source of reduced iron. The phases were weathered in two different atmospheres: one composed of CO₂ + H₂O, to model the present and primary martian atmosphere, and a CO₂ + H₂O + H₂O₂ atmosphere to simulate the effect of strong oxidizing agents. Experiments were conducted at room temperature and a pressure of 0.75 atm. Magnetite is the only stable phase in the experiments and is thus likely to be released on the surface of Mars from primary rocks during weathering processes. Siderite, elemental sulfur, ferrous sulfates and ferric (oxy)hydroxides (goethite and lepidocrocite) are the main products in a water-bearing atmosphere, depending on the substrate. In the peroxide atmosphere, weathering products are dominated by ferric sulfates and goethite. A kinetic model was then developed for iron weathering in a water atmosphere, using the shrinking core model (SCM). This model includes competition between chemical reaction and diffusion of reactants through porous layers of secondary products. The results indicate that for short time scales, the mechanism is dominated by a chemical reaction with second order kinetics (k = 7.75 × 10⁻⁵ g⁻¹/h), whereas for longer time scales, the mechanism is diffusion-controlled (De_A = 2.71 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/h). The results indicate that a primary CO₂- and H₂O-rich atmosphere should favour sulfur, ferrous phases such as siderite or Fe²⁺-sulfates, associated with ferric (oxy)hydroxides (goethite and lepidocrocite). Further evolution to more oxidizing conditions may have forced these precursors to evolve into ferric sulfates and goethite/hematite.