Formation of calcium sulfate through the aggregation of sub-3 nanometre primary species
The formation pathways of gypsum remain uncertain. Here, using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, we quantify the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of gypsum (CaSO ·2HO), an important mineral phase on Earth and Mars. The reaction starts through the fast...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2016 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/362627 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/362627 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Calcium sulfate Nanoparticle Aggregation Bassanite Calcium Crystallization Electron Gypsum Nucleation Sulfate X-ray spectroscopy |
| Sumario: | The formation pathways of gypsum remain uncertain. Here, using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, we quantify the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of gypsum (CaSO ·2HO), an important mineral phase on Earth and Mars. The reaction starts through the fast formation of well-defined, primary species of <3 nm in length (stage I), followed in stage II by their arrangement into domains. The variations in volume fractions and electron densities suggest that these fast forming primary species contain Ca-SO-cores that self-assemble in stage III into large aggregates. Within the aggregates these well-defined primary species start to grow (stage IV), and fully crystalize into gypsum through a structural rearrangement. Our results allow for a quantitative understanding of how natural calcium sulfate deposits may form on Earth and how a terrestrially unstable phase-like bassanite can persist at low-water activities currently dominating the surface of Mars. |
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