Ion Binding to Oxide Minerals

It should be noted that minerals, and oxide minerals in particular, have different types of OH groups, depending on the coordination of the O atoms, as revealed by spectroscopic studies. Goethite (a-FeOOH) has four types of surface hydroxyls whose reactivities are a function of the coordination environment of the O in the FeOH group (Sposito 1984 Sparks 2002). The FeOH groups are A-, B-, or C-type sites, depending on whether the O is coordinated with 1,3, or 2 adjacent Fe(III) ions. The fourth type of site is a Lewis acid-type site, which results from chemisorption of a water molecule on a bare Fe(III) ion. Only A-type sites are basic (can bind H+), and, on the contrary, A-type and Lewis acid sites can release a proton. The B- and C-type sites are considered unreactive. Thus, A-type sites can be either a proton acceptor or a proton donor (i.e., they are amphoteric). Other spectroscopic studies have shown that boehmite (y-AlOOH) and lepidocrocite (y-FeOOH) have two types of OH, presumably associated with different crystal faces (Lewis and Farmer 1986). 

Modem spectroscopic techniques, especially X-ray absorption methods (Section 7.3.2) have shed light on the interactions between oxide surfaces and ions, both cations and anions. In the following, a description of both cation and anion binding with representative examples is given. 

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