On the reaction of iron oxides and oxyhydroxides with tannic and phosphoric acid and their mixtures

The actions of tannic acid, phosphoric acid and their mixture on lepidocrocite, goethite, superparamagnetic goethite, akaganeite, magnetite, hematite and maghemite for 1 day and 1 month were explored. It was found that these acids form iron tannates and phosphates. Lepidocrocite and magnetite were the iron phases more easily transformed with the mixture of the acids after 1 month of reaction, whereas hematite was the most resistant phase. In the case of goethite, our results suggest that in order to understand properly the action of these acids, we have to take into account its stoichiometry, surface area and degree of crystallinity.