The role of variable surface charge and surface complexation in the adsorption of humic acid on magnetite

The ionic strength dependence of humic acid (HA) adsorption on magnetite (Fe₃O₄) was investigated at pH 5, 8 and 9, where variable charged magnetite is positive, neutral and negative, respectively. The adsorption studies revealed that HA has high affinity to magnetite surface especially at lower pH, where interacting partners have opposite charges. However, in spite of electrostatic repulsion at pH 9 notable amounts of humate are adsorbed. Increasing ionic strength enhances HA adsorption at each pH due to charge screening. The dominant interaction is probably a ligand-exchange reaction, nevertheless the Coulombic contribution to the organic matter accumulation on oxide surface is also significant under acidic condition. The results from size exclusion chromatography demonstrate that the smaller size HA fractions enriched with functional groups are adsorbed preferentially on the surface of magnetite at pH 8 in dilute NaCl solution.     

Kinetic study on the sorption of dissolved natural organic matter onto different aquifer materials: the effects of hydrophobicity and functional groups

The subsurface sorption of Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) and humic acid (SRHA) onto a synthetic aquifer material (iron-oxide-coated quartz) and two natural aquifer materials (Ringold sediment and Bemidji soils) was studied in both batch and column experiments. The hypothesis that hydrophobic effects followed by ligand exchange are the dominant mechanism contributing to the chemical sorption happening between dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) and the mineral surfaces is supported by observations of several phenomena: nonlinear isotherms, faster sorption rates versus slower desorption rates, phosphate competition, a solution pH increase during NOM sorption, and functional groups and aromaticity-related sorption. In addition, high-pressure size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and carboxylic acidity showed that lower molecular weight NOM components of SRHA are preferentially sorbed to iron oxide, a result in contrast to that for SRFA. Phosphate increased the desorption of sorbed NOM as well as soil organic matter. All of these trends support ligand exchange as the dominant reaction between NOM and the iron oxide surfaces; however, if the soil surface has been occupied by soil organic matter, then the sorption of NOM is more due to hydrophobic effect.     

Adsorption and desorption of humic acid on aminated polyacrylonitrile fibers

Aminated polyacrylonitrile fibers (APANFs) were prepared by surface modification and were used as an adsorbent to remove humic acid from aqueous solutions. The APANFs were found to be very effective in removing humic acid at the pH range from 2 to 10. The adsorption isotherm obeyed both the Langmuir and Freundlich models, and the adsorption kinetics followed an initial diffusion-controlled and then an attachment-controlled adsorption pattern. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that chemical bonds were formed between the nitrogen atoms in the amine groups on the fibers and humic acid molecules adsorbed, suggesting that, besides electrostatic interaction, surface complexation also played an important role in humic acid adsorption on the APANFs. The humic acid adsorbed on the APANFs can be effectively desorbed in a 0.1 M NaOH solution, and the regenerated APANFs can be reused in the subsequent adsorption cycles without significant loss of the adsorption capacities.     

Effects of carboxyl groups on the adsorption behavior of low-molecular-weight substances on a stainless steel surface

The adsorption isotherms of various carboxylic acids and several amines on a stainless steel surface were taken as a function of pH and the ionic strength of the solution at 30 degrees C. In particular, the effect of the number of carboxyl groups on the adsorption behavior was investigated. Monocarboxylic acids such as benzoic acid and n-butyric acid were reversibly adsorbed on the stainless steel particles and showed a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm, i.e., Q=KqmC/(1+KC), where Q and C are, respectively, the amount of adsorbate adsorbed and the equilibrium concentration in the bulk solution, qm, the maximum adsorbed amount, and K is the adsorption equilibrium constant. Carboxylic acids having plural carboxyl groups had much higher affinity to the surface and were adsorbed in both reversible and irreversible modes. The adsorption isotherms for the carboxylic acids having plural carboxyl groups could be expressed by a modified Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm, i.e., Q=q(irrev)+Kq(rev)C/(1+KC), where q(irrev) and q(rev) are, respectively, the maximum amounts adsorbed irreversibly and reversibly. The K and q(irrev) values increased with an increase in the number of carboxyl groups except for isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid. On the basis of the pH dependencies of K, qm, q(irrev), and q(rev) as well as the surface properties of the stainless steel, both reversible and irreversible adsorptions were considered to occur through the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged carboxyl groups and the positively charged sites on the surface. The dependency of the q(irrev) value on ionic strength was discussed on the basis of the differences in their adsorbed state with the interaction forces to the surface and repulsive forces among the adsorbed molecules. The adsorption of amine components was quite weak. The RA-IR and molecular dynamics calculation were done to investigate the adsorption states of phthalic acid, trimellitic acid, and mellitic acid.     

Adsorption of cadmium(II) on humic acid coated titanium dioxide

The rapid increase in nanotechnology has led to growing concerns on environmental effects and health risks of nanoparticles (NPs). Many studies investigated the adsorption of toxic pollutants on NPs; however, the interaction between heavy metals and natural organic matter (NOM) coated metal oxide NPs was scarcely studied. In this study, using humic acid (HA) as model NOM, the adsorption of Cd(II) on humic acid coated titanium dioxide (HA-TiO(2)) NPs was investigated. Solution parameters such as pH and salinity were investigated to exploit the mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that the adsorption isotherms of Cd(II) to both TiO(2) and HA-TiO(2) complied well with Freundlich model. q(e) values increased with pH increase, mainly due to electrostatic attraction, whereas q(e) values increased initially and then decreased at 100 mmol L(-1) with salinity increase, mainly due to complexation and electrostatic effects. It is noteworthy that an overall trend of higher Cd(II) adsorption was observed on HA-TiO(2) compared to that on TiO(2), implying that HA coating might modify bioavailability of heavy metals in aquatic environment. The possible adsorption mechanisms in views of electrostatic interactions and covalent effects were interpreted, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results also verified the possible mechanisms.     

The interaction of triazine herbicides with humic acids

Summary Although the binding of pesticides to organic carbon in soil, especially to humic acid (HA), is well recognized, the mechanisms have not been completely explained. This publication deals with adsorption of atrazine and terbuthylazine by humic acid under different experimental conditions, including adsorption times longer than those used hitherto. Direct HPLC analysis of HA suspensions is assessed as an alternative to more complicated techniques for estimation of free triazines, and compared with combined solid-phase extraction and HPLC. Experimental conditions such as time of exposure, addition of neutral salt, pH of the suspension, and HA concentration have a significant impact on the extent of triazine adsorption. At alkaline pH, triazines become partitioned in the HA fraction because of its hydrophobicity, whereas at acidic pH hydrogen-bonding probably occurs between triazine molecules and humic acid polymers. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Mechanisms and kinetics of humic acid adsorption onto chitosan-coated granules

Chitosan, a naturally abundant biopolymer, has widely been studied for metal adsorption from various aqueous solutions, but the extension of chitosan as an adsorbent to remove humic substances from water has seldom been explored. In this study, chitosan was coated on the surface of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) granules through a dip and phase inversion process and was examined for humic acid removal in a series of batch adsorption experiments. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images showed that the PET granules were uniformly covered with a layer of chitosan and the chitosan layer possessed numerous open pores on the surface. Zeta potential study indicated that the chitosan-coated granules had positive zeta potentials at pH < 6.6 and negative zeta potentials at pH > 6.6. Adsorption of humic acid onto the chitosan-coated granules was found to be strongly pH-dependent. Significant amounts of humic acid were adsorbed under acidic and neutral pH conditions, but the adsorption capacity was reduced remarkably with increasing solution pH values. The adsorption isothermal data under various initial humic acid concentrations (at the same solution pH value) can be adequately modeled by the Langmuir and Freundlich models. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the amino groups of the chitosan layer were protonated due to humic acid adsorption, suggesting the formation of organic complex between the protonated amino groups and humic acid. Kinetic study indicated that the adsorption process was transport-limited at low solution pH values, but became both transport- and attachment-limited at high solution pH values.     

Adsorption of humic acid on goethite: isotherms, charge adjustments, and potential profiles

The adsorption of natural organic matter (NOM) on mineral (hydr)oxide plays an important role in the evaluation of the speciation of toxic metal ions in the environment. Because both NOM and mineral oxide have variable charges that adjust upon adsorption, a good understanding of proton binding is required before the binding of metal ions can be understood. In this study, the adsorption of purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) on goethite was examined as a function of the environmental conditions (pH, salt concentration, and free concentration of PAHA) together with the proton adsorption to PAHA, goethite, and their mixtures. The induced charges on both components were separated on the basis of the difference between the charge/pH curves of the mixture and those of the single components. The electrostatic potential profile across the adsorbed layer was obtained as a numerical solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation using the charge density of the adsorbed PAHA and the goethite surface. From the quantitative evaluation of the induced charge on both components, it is revealed that the degree of the charge adjustment is related to the electrostatic affinity between the PAHA segments and the goethite surface, the electrostatic repulsion between the PAHA segments, and the electrostatic shielding by salt ions. Considering the charge distribution of the adsorbed PAHA at the goethite surface, it is concluded that the change of the charge adjustment is sensitive to that of the conformation of the adsorbed PAHA. From the detailed inspection of the assumptions made and the comparison with the reported theoretical calculations, the obtained potential profiles are considered to broadly reflect the true potential profiles. Because a charge adjustment is not frequently considered in detail in relation to the NOM adsorption on metal (hydr)oxides, the obtained results can form the basis for the further development of modeling of the adsorption of NOM on (hydr)oxide surfaces.     

Effect of pH and Ionic Strength on the Mechanism of Association of Rodenticides with Natural Organic Components of Soil

The mechanisms of association of hydrophobic organic contaminants with natural organic matter (for example humic acid, HA) in soil and sediment are a major objective of environmental and geochemical research. This paper discusses a general model for studying the process of association between a series of rodenticides and humic acid, by use of a C₁₈ stationary phase. An approach based on extended Langmuir distribution isotherms was used to study the effect of bulk solvent pH and ionic strength (adjusted by addition of sodium cation) on the mechanism of HA–rodenticide binding. The results demonstrated that: (i) HA can be adsorbed on the surface of the C₁₈ phase; (ii) the rodenticides can be associated with HA adsorbed on the C₁₈ surface; and (iii) ionic strength and bulk solvent pH both modify the conformation of HA and thus its mechanism of association with the rodenticide molecules.     

静态法和EXAFS技术研究Eu(III)在钛酸纳米管上的吸附行为和微观机制

结合静态实验和X射线吸收精细结构谱学(EXAFS)技术研究了pH、时间、有机配体等环境因素对放射性核素Eu(III)在钛酸纳米管上的吸附行为和微观机制的影响.宏观实验结果表明:Eu(III)在钛酸纳米管上的吸附在pH<6.0条件下受离子强度影响,而在pH>6.0条件下不受离子强度影响;腐殖酸HA/FA在低pH条件下可以促进Eu(III)在钛酸纳米管上的吸附,而在高pH条件下抑制Eu(III)在钛酸纳米管上的吸附.EXAFS微观分析结果表明:在pH<6.0条件下,吸附属于外层吸附机理;在pH>6.0条件下,吸附属于内层吸附机理.pH<6.0时,中心原子Eu周围只有Eu-O一个配位层,其平均键长为2.40,配位数在9左右;随着pH逐渐升高,第一配位层的配位数下降,表明吸附Eu原子配位的对称性下降.当吸附时间延长或pH升高,吸附原子Eu周围出现了Eu-Eu和Eu-Ti第二配位层,其平均键长分别为3.60和4.40,配位数分别在2或1左右,表明形成了内层吸附产物或表面沉淀或表面多聚体.腐殖酸HA/FA的存在,可以改变Eu(III)在钛酸纳米管表面的吸附形态和微观原子结构,Eu(III)不仅可以与钛酸纳米管的表面羟基直接键合形成二元表面复合物(Eu-TNTs),还可以通过HA/FA的桥连作用形成三元表面复合物(HA/FA-Eu-TNTs).这些研究结果对于评估放射性核素Eu(III)与纳米材料在分子水平上的作用机理及分析Eu(III)在环境中的物理化学行为具有重要的意义.     

In situ infrared spectroscopic analysis of the adsorption of aromatic carboxylic acids to TiO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, and Ta2O5 from aqueous solutions

In situ infrared spectroscopy has been used to investigate the adsorption of a range of simple aromatic carboxylic acids from aqueous solution to metal oxides. Thin films of TiO2, ZrO2, Al2O3 and Ta2O5 were prepared by evaporation of aqueous sols on single reflection ZnSe prisms. Benzoic acid adsorbed very strongly to ZrO2, in a bridging bidentate fashion, but showed only weak adsorption to TiO2 and Ta2O5. Substituted aromatic carboxylic acids; salicylic, phthalic and thiosalicylic, were found to adsorb to each metal oxide. Salicylic and phthalic acids adsorbed to the metal oxides via bidentate interactions, involving coordination through both carboxylate and substituent groups. Thiosalicylic acid adsorbed to the metal oxides as a bridging bidentate carboxylate with no coordination through the thiol substituent group.     

The effect of humic acid on the adsorption of REEs on kaolin

For a better understanding of adsorption of the rare earth elements (REEs) onto minerals and its controlling factors, adsorption experiments were performed at pH range of from 3 to 10 with kaolin (1500 mg/L) in a matrix of various concentration of NaNO₃ and about 20 μg/L of the total REEs as well as various amounts of humic acid (HA). The adsorption of HA onto the kaolin occurred over a wide pH range and decreases with increasing pH and with increasing HA concentration. The results show that humic acid has ability to either increase or decrease the adsorption of the REEs onto kaolin, depending on pH, which may be related to their speciation distribution, interaction of HA with the mineral surface. Furthermore, the light REEs are more adsorbed onto kaolin in presence of higher concentration of HA, presumably because the increase in HA concentration in the solution enhance stronger complexing of HA with heavy REEs as compare to light REEs. The ionic strength has strong effect on the adsorption of HA and REEs onto the kaolin but little on the REEs fractionation. The results presented here indicate that mineral/water adsorption may generate the enrichment of the dissolved heavy REEs in the presence of a significant amount of humic acid, which is consistent with the fractionation of REEs in the most of natural waters.     

Potentiometric and spectroscopic studies on yttrium(III) complexes of dihydroxybenzoic acids

The equilibrium reactions of yttrium(III) ion with dihydroxybenzoic acids (2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-DHBA)) (H(3)L) were investigated in aqueous solution by means of potentiometric and spectroscopic methods, in 0.1 mol.l(-1) ionic strength medium at 25 degrees C. The stability constants are reported for YL, YL(HL)(2-) and YL(2)(3-)- type mononuclear complexes. 2,3-DHBA can bind Y(III) ion strongly and the salicylate mode is effective over the acidic pH range. But in higher pH range, 2,3-DHBA and 3,4-DHBA act more efficiently through catecholate groups. The complexes of 2,3-DHBA are more stable than the complexes of 3,4-DHBA.     

Humic acid sorption onto a quartz sand surface: A kinetic study and insight into fractionation

A kinetic study of Aldrich humic acid sorption onto a quartz sand surface has revealed an initial rapid uptake of humic acid molecules followed by a much slower sorption. The humic acid molecular weight and chemical fractionation resulting from adsorption onto the simple quartz sand surface were investigated for the two kinetic steps by coupled asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation-UV/visible absorption spectrophotometry. The molecular weight distribution of residual humic acid in solution after adsorption deviated from the original molecular weight distribution, showing preferential adsorption of certain molecular weight components. This fractionation is different after the two kinetic steps. Humic acid molecules characterised by a molecular weight below 4800 Da and with a weight-average molecular weight (M(w)) of 1450 Da were adsorbed after the fast kinetic step, whereas humic acid molecules in the molecular weight range 1400-9200 Da and of M(w) 3700 Da were adsorbed after the slower uptake. Therefore, the adsorption of low molecular weight humic components takes place initially, and is then followed by the adsorption of higher molecular weight components. Chemical adsorptive fractionation, investigated by studying the 253 nm/203 nm absorbance ratio over time, shows that aromatic components are preferentially adsorbed during the fast kinetic step. The fractionation pattern may be explained by the physicochemical characteristics of the Aldrich humic acid and the underlying sorption processes. The trend for the sorption kinetics of europium onto the quartz sand surface in the presence of humic acid is similar to that of the humic acid itself.     

Capillary electrophoresis--electrospray ionization--mass spectrometry for the characterization of natural organic matter: an evaluation with free flow electrophoresis-off-line flow injection electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

The separation of Suwannee River natural organic matter (NOM) with capillary zone electrophoresis hyphenated to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CZE-ESI-MS) is presented. The obtained electropherograms and signal distributions are comparable to the mobility distributions obtained with more classical UV detection. A direct comparison of the results was possible with free-flow electrophoresis (FFE), which allows an upscaling of the CZE method and the analysis of the collected fractions in an off-line modus with flow-injection electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (FI-ESI-MS). The changes of the m/z distributions with mobility are very similar with both methods and show a decrease of the m/z with increasing electrophoretic mobility in the humic hump at alkaline pH; superimposed on this hump a low-molecular-weight fraction migrates at lower mobility. The analysis of benzene carboxylic acids, glycerrhycic acid as well as oligomers of polystyrene sulfonic acid and polyacrylic acid additionally illustrates possible fragmentation, formation of adducts and multiplicity of the charges of the molecules prior to MS detection. These hardly controllable difficulties add a challenge to the interpretation of the obtained m/z distributions of NOM in terms of charge and mass distributions of molecules present in the NOM mixture.     

Adsorption of Eu(III) on titanate nanotubes studied by a combination of batch and EXAFS technique

The effects of pH,contact time and natural organic ligands on radionuclide Eu(Ⅲ) adsorption and mechanism on titanate nanotubes(TNTs) are studied by a combination of batch and extended X-ray absorption fine structure(EXAFS) techniques.Macroscopic measurements show that the adsorption is ionic strength dependent at pH < 6.0,but ionic strength independent at pH > 6.0.The presence of humic acid(HA) /fulvic acid(FA) increases Eu(Ⅲ) adsorption on TNTs at low pH,but reduces Eu(Ⅲ) adsorption at high pH.The results of EXAFS analysis indicate that Eu(Ⅲ) adsorption on TNTs is dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation at pH < 6.0,whereas by inner-sphere surface complexation at pH > 6.0.At pH < 6.0,Eu(Ⅲ) consists of ～ 9 O atoms at REu?O ≈ 2.40  in the first coordination sphere,and a decrease in NEu-O with increasing pH indicates the introduction of more asymmetry in the first sphere of adsorbed Eu(Ⅲ).At long contact time or high pH values,the Eu(Ⅲ) consists of ～2 Eu at REu-Eu ≈ 3.60  and ～ 1 Ti at REu-Ti ≈ 4.40 ,indicating the formation of inner-sphere surface complexation,surface precipitation or surface polymers.Surface adsorbed HA/FA on TNTs modifies the species of adsorbed Eu(Ⅲ) as well as the local atomic structures of adsorbed Eu(Ⅲ) on HA/FA-TNT hybrids.Adsorbed Eu(Ⅲ) on HA/FA-TNT hybrids forms both ligand-bridging ternary surface complexes(Eu-HA/FA-TNTs) as well as surface complexes in which Eu(Ⅲ) remains directly bound to TNT surface hydroxyl groups(i.e.,binary Eu-TNTs or Eu-bridging ternary surface complexes(HA/FA-Eu-TNTs)).The findings in this work are important to describe Eu(Ⅲ) interaction with nanomaterials at molecular level and will help to improve the understanding of Eu(Ⅲ) physicochemical behavior in the natural environment.     

Adsorption of phthalic acid and salicylic acid and their effect on exchangeable Al capacity of variable-charge soils

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) organic acids may be adsorbed by soils and the adsorption could affect their biodegradation and efficiency in many soil processes. In the present study, the adsorption of phthalic acid and salicylic acid and their effect on the exchangeable Al capacity of variable-charge soils were investigated. The results indicated that phthalic acid and salicylic acid were adsorbed by four variable-charge soils to some extent, oxisols showed a greater adsorption capacity for organic acids than ultisols, and the ability of the four variable-charge soils to adsorb the organic acids at different pH generally followed the order Kunming oxisol > Xuwen oxisol > Jinxian ultisol > Lechang ultisol, which was closely related to their content of free iron oxides and amorphous iron and aluminum oxides. The adsorption of organic acids induced a decrease in the zeta potentials of soils and oxides. Goethite has greater adsorption capacity for organic acid than Xuwen oxisol and the adsorption of organic acids resulted in a bigger decrease in the zeta potential of goethite suspensions. After free iron oxides were removed, less organic acid was adsorbed by Xuwen oxisol and no change was observed in zeta potential for the soil suspension after organic acid was added. The presence of phthalic acid increased the capacity of exchangeable Al and the increment in the four variable-charge soils also followed the order Kunming oxisol > Xuwen oxisol > Lechang ultisol and Jinxian ultisol. The presence of salicylic acid increased the capacity of exchangeable Al in Kunming oxisol, Xuwen oxisol, and Jinxian ultisol, but decreased it in Lechang ultisol due to less adsorption of the acid and formation of soluble Al-salicylate complexes in solution. After free iron oxides were removed, less effect of organic acid on exchangeable Al was observed for Xuwen oxisol, which further confirmed that the iron oxides played a significant role in organic acid adsorption and had a consequent effect on the capacity of exchangeable Al in variable-charge soils. Therefore, the higher the content of iron oxides, the greater the adsorption of organic acids by soils and the greater the increase in soil exchangeable Al induced by the organic acids.     

The sorption of anthracene onto goethite and kaolinite in the presence of some benzene carboxylic acids

The uptake of anthracene from dilute aqueous solutions onto goethite and kaolinite was investigated at 25 degrees C, first in the absence and then in the presence of three benzene carboxylic acids: phthalic acid (benzene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid), trimesic acid (-1,3,5-), and mellitic acid (-1,2,3,4,5,6-). Carboxylic acid concentrations were 0.20, 0.10, and 0.05 mM. Anthracene (0.20 microM) did not adsorb strongly onto the pure mineral surfaces, but in the presence of phthalic acid a substantial increase in anthracene uptake was observed, particularly for the goethite systems. Trimesic and mellitic acids did not enhance anthracene uptake. Phthalate and proton adsorption data have been used to model phthalate adsorption onto the mineral surfaces using an extended constant capacitance surface complexation model. This model was then successfully adapted to account for the observed increase in anthracene uptake, where anthracene molecules were assumed to interact with adsorbed phthalate. We propose that the enhancement of anthracene adsorption in the presence of phthalic acid is due to an increase in the hydrophobicity of the mineral surface once phthalic acid molecules adsorb. The same effect was not observed for the other benzene carboxylates because of their greater polarity.     

Adsorption of humic acids onto goethite: effects of molar mass, pH and ionic strength

In this paper, the LCD (ligand charge distribution) model is applied to describe the adsorption of (Tongbersven) humic acid (HA) to goethite. The model considers both electrostatic interactions and chemical binding between HA and goethite. The large size of HA particles limits their close access to the surface. Part of the adsorbed HA particles is located in the compact part at the goethite surface (Stern layers) and the rest in the less structured diffuse double layer (DDL). The model can describe the effects of pH, ionic strength, and loading on the adsorption. Compared to fulvic acid (FA), adsorption of HA is stronger and more pH- and ionic-strength-dependent. The larger number of reactive groups on each HA particle than on a FA particle results in the stronger HA adsorption observed. The stronger pH dependency in HA adsorption is related to the larger number of protons that are coadsorbed with HA due to the higher charge carried by a HA particle than by a FA particle. The positive ionic-strength dependency of HA adsorption can be explained by the conformational change of HA particles with ionic strength. At a higher ionic strength, the decrease of the particle size favors closer contact between the particles and the surface, leading to stronger competition with electrolyte ions for surface charge neutralization and therefore leading to more HA adsorption.     

Control of carboxylic acid and ester groups on chromium (VI) binding to functionalized silica/water interfaces studied by second harmonic generation

Resonantly enhanced surface second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements carried out at pH 7 and room temperature were performed to study how surface-bound carboxylic acid and methyl ester functional groups control the interaction of chromate ions with fused silica/water interfaces. These functional groups were chosen because of their high abundance in humic and fulvic acids and related biopolymers commonly found in soils. They were anchored to the silica surface using organosilane chemistry to avoid competing complexation processes in the aqueous solution as well as competitive adsorption of the organic compounds and chromate. The SHG experiments were carried out at room temperature and pH 7 while using environmentally representative chromate concentrations ranging from 1 x10(-6) to 2 x 10(-4) M. Chromate is found to bind to the acid- and ester-functionalized silica/water interfaces in a reversible fashion. In contrast to the plain silica/water interface, chromate binding studies performed on the functionalized silica/water interfaces show S-shaped adsorption isotherms that can be modeled using the Frumkin-Fowler-Guggenheim (FFG) model. This model predicts a coverage-dependent binding constant of K(ads) x exp(gtheta). Values for g are found to be 3.2(2), 2.1(2), and 1.3(2) for the carboxylic acid-, the ester-, and the nonfunctionalized silica/water interfaces, respectively, and are consistent with stabilizing lateral adsorbate-adsorbate interactions among the Cr(VI) species adsorbed to the functionalized surfaces. The FFG model allows for the parametrization of the solid-liquid partition coefficient and chromate retardation factors in silica-rich soil particles whose surfaces contain organic adlayers rich in carboxylic acid and methyl ester groups. The straightforward model presented here predicts that chromate retardation increases by up to 200% when carboxylic acid functional groups are present at the silica/water interface. Increases up to 50% are predicted for methyl ester-containing organic adlayers, and the retardation factor remains effectively near unity for the plain silica/water interface (no siloxanes present).