Benzenecarboxylate surface complexation at the goethite (alpha-FeOOH)/water interface : I. A mechanistic description of pyromellitate surface complexes from the combined evidence of infrared spectroscopy, potentiometry, adsorption data, and surface complexation modeling

• An investigation combining IR spectroscopy, potentiometric titrations, and adsorption experiments was carried out to study pyromellitate (1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate) sorption at the goethite (α-FeOOH)/water interface. The IR spectra show evidence of outer-sphere complexation throughout the pH range from 3 to 9. Below pH 6 additional IR spectroscopic features appear, which are tentatively assigned to inner-sphere complexes. A normalized IR peak area plot for each peak indicative of inner- and of outer-sphere complexes as a function of pH provided a semiquantitative surface speciation scheme. This scheme was successfully reproduced using surface complexation theory with a multisite complexation model calibrated on potentiometric titration and on adsorption data. The surface speciation was described with a binuclear outer-sphere complex on the {110} plane of goethite and a mononuclear inner-sphere complex on the {001} plane. Furthermore, as the IR spectra also indicated partial protonation of pyromellitate complexes at low pH, a partially protonated outer-sphere species on the {110} plane was included in the model.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)