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Imaging the heterogeneity of mineral surface reactivity using Ag(I) and synchrotron X-ray microscopy

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Abstract

Microscopic-scale imaging of reduced zones on the surfaces of minerals can be achieved by reaction with dilute Ag(I) solutions and subsequent analysis using synchrotron X-ray microscopy (XRM) above the Ag K-edge (25.5 keV). The principal reductant is Fe(II), but other reductants such as sulfide may contribute. Reduced zones may exist instrinsically, as in the structure of biotite and augite, or may be generated by reaction with chemical agents such as dithionite or treatment with sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). We demonstrate the method on flakes of specular hematite and biotite, as well as on thin sections of different rocks (arfvedsonitic granite, oolitic hematite, diabase, and quartz conglomerate) treated with SRB, and discuss possible artifacts that can occur. To our knowledge, this is the only microscopic technique that can image Fe(II) zones on the surface of an Fe-bearing mineral with monolayer sensitivity.

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Acknowledgments.

We thank Dale Brewe for assistance with the focusing-capillary X-ray microscope and Kevin M. Rosso for assistance in collecting the abiotic mineral data. This manuscript benefited from helpful reviews by Klaus Pecher and Eugene Ilton. This research was supported in part by the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) Program, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER), US Department of Energy (DOE) and in part by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The PNNL is operated for DOE by Battelle Memorial Institute under contract DE-AC06–76RL0 1830.

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  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, 99352, USA

    J. E. Amonette, S. M. Heald & C. K. Russell

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  1. J. E. Amonette
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  2. S. M. Heald
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  3. C. K. Russell
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Correspondence to J. E. Amonette.

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Amonette, J., Heald, S. & Russell, C. Imaging the heterogeneity of mineral surface reactivity using Ag(I) and synchrotron X-ray microscopy. Phys Chem Minerals 30, 559–569 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-003-0350-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-003-0350-2

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