skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The basis for reevaluating the reactivity of pyrite surfaces: spin states and crystal field d-orbital splitting energies of bulk, terrace, edge, and corner Fe(II) ions

Journal Article · · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. PCCP
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c8cp05459b· OSTI ID:1529966

Pyrite, one of the most important minerals to catalyze redox reactions in nature and a bulk low-spin Fe mineral, needs to provide high-spin Fe on surfaces to moderate spin-forbidden transitions. In this work, the spin state of pyrite is investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations on cluster and periodic models. The energies of clusters FexS2x (where x = 4, 8, 16, and 32) were calculated as a function of total spin and different up/down spin configurations. The undercoordinated Fe on surfaces, edges, and corners were found to provide intermediate and high-spin Fe necessary for catalysis. Generally, the lower the crystal field splitting energy (CFSE), Δ, for a particular Fe atom, the higher is the spin density. Pyrite bulk (3D) and surfaces (2D) (+ water to mimic aqueous systems) were examined. The calculated bulk band gap (0.95 eV) is in excellent agreement with previous reports. For the surface, a conducting state is predicted. The calculated CFSE for bulk Fe(II) in pyrite (~2.2 eV) agrees with previous CFT results; due to surface states, this CFSE decreases to ~1 eV on terraces. This study highlights the importance of accurately describing the spin state of pyrite.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-06ER15783; AC02-05CH11231; EAR1223976; EAR1223600
OSTI ID:
1529966
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1498176
Journal Information:
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. PCCP, Vol. 21, Issue 12; ISSN 1463-9076
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 8 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (86)

The mechanism of the reduction of [AnO2]2+ (An = U, Np, Pu) in aqueous solution, and by Fe(ii) containing proteins and mineral surfaces, probed by DFT calculations journal January 2011
Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple journal October 1996
First-principles electronic structure and relative stability of pyrite and marcasite: Implications for photovoltaic performance journal June 2011
Abstractive chemisorption of O2 on Al(111) journal January 2000
Theoretical study of the surface energy and electronic structure of pyrite FeS2 (100) using a total-energy pseudopotential method, CASTEP journal February 2004
Redetermined Crystal Structure of FeS2 (Pyrite). journal January 1969
Fe isotope exchange between Fe(II)aq and nanoparticulate mackinawite (FeSm) during nanoparticle growth journal November 2010
Corrosion of UO2 and ThO2: A quantum-mechanical investigation journal April 2008
Optical properties, phonons and electronic structure of iron pyrite (FeS 2 ) journal September 1976
Structure sensitivity of pyrite oxidation; comparison of the (100) and (111) planes journal December 1998
Oxidation of {100} and {111} surfaces of pyrite: Effects of preparation method journal March 2000
Spin Catalysis of Chemical Reactions journal January 1996
Binding of oxygen on vacuum fractured pyrite surfaces: Reactivity of iron and sulfur surface sites journal May 2013
Free Energy of Spin-Crossover Complexes Calculated with Density Functional Methods journal April 2001
From molecules to solids with the DMol3 approach journal November 2000
The proximity effect on semiconducting mineral surfaces: a new aspect of mineral surface reactivity and surface complexation theory? journal August 2001
Atomic properties and chemical bonding in the pyrite and marcasite polymorphs of FeS 2 : a combined experimental and theoretical electron density study journal January 2014
COSMO: a new approach to dielectric screening in solvents with explicit expressions for the screening energy and its gradient journal January 1993
Electronic structure, optical and X-ray emission spectra in FeS 2 journal February 2009
A fast and robust algorithm for Bader decomposition of charge density journal June 2006
Ab initio and XPS studies of pyrite (100) surface states journal November 2006
Chemistry of Iron Sulfides journal February 2007
Sulfur and iron surface states on fractured pyrite surfaces journal October 1998
Computational Investigation of FeS 2 Surfaces and Prediction of Effects of Sulfur Environment on Stabilities journal April 2010
Identification of pyrite valence band contributions using synchrotron-excited X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy journal February 2004
Imaging the reduction of chromium(VI) on magnetite surfaces using in situ electrochemical AFM journal July 2016
A new mixing of Hartree–Fock and local density‐functional theories journal January 1993
XPS and LEED study of a single-crystal surface of pyrite journal February 1996
Aspects of goethite surface microtopography, structure, chemistry, and reactivity journal June 1999
Natural gold nanoparticles journal November 2011
Ab initio and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy study of the bulk and surface electronic structure of pyrite (100) with implications for reactivity journal December 2005
Oxidation of synthesized sub-micron pyrite (FeS 2 ) in seawater journal November 2014
Oxygen Abstraction from Dioxygen on the Al(111) Surface journal November 2001
Proximity effects on semiconducting mineral surfaces II: journal March 2003
Accelerating Chemical Discovery with Machine Learning: Simulated Evolution of Spin Crossover Complexes with an Artificial Neural Network journal February 2018
Nanoparticulate pyrite and other nanoparticles are a widespread component of hydrothermal vent black smoker emissions journal February 2014
XPS measurement of fivefold and sixfold coordinated sulfur in pyrrhotites and evidence for millerite and pyrrhotite surface species journal March 2001
The interaction of pyrite {100} surfaces with O 2 and H 2 O; fundamental oxidation mechanisms journal October 1999
Atomically resolved electronic structure of pyrite {100} surfaces; an experimental and theoretical investigation with implications for reactivity journal October 1999
The electronic structure of hematite {001} surfaces; applications to the interpretation of STM images and heterogeneous surface reactions journal December 1996
Metal island growth and dynamics on molybdenite surfaces journal March 2003
A first principles study of the oxidation energetics and kinetics of realgar journal August 2010
Intermolecular interactions from a natural bond orbital, donor-acceptor viewpoint journal September 1988
FeS-coated sand for removal of arsenic(III) under anaerobic conditions in permeable reactive barriers journal January 2011
How O 2 Binds to Heme : REASONS FOR RAPID BINDING AND SPIN INVERSION journal January 2004
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of a pristine pyrite surface reacted with water vapour and air journal November 1994
Characterization of near band-edge properties of synthetic p-FeS2 iron pyrite from electrical and photoconductivity measurements journal September 2006
Surface structural controls on pyrite oxidation kinetics; an XPS-UPS, STM, and modeling study journal October 1996
Spin forbidden chemical reactions of transition metal compounds. New ideas and new computational challenges journal November 2002
Density-functional theory studies of pyrite FeS2() and () surfaces journal August 2002
Iron disulfide for solar energy conversion journal May 1993
The calculation of STM images, STS spectra, and XPS peak shifts for galena: New tools for understanding mineral surface chemistry journal July 1996
Special points for Brillouin-zone integrations journal June 1976
Hydrothermal synthesis and crystal structure of pyrite journal June 2004
Synchrotron XPS evidence for Fe 2+ -S and Fe 3+ -S surface species on pyrite fracture-surfaces, and their 3D electronic states journal May 2000
On the meaning of spin-pairing energy in transition-metal ions journal June 1982
Authigenic realgar and gold in dynamic redox gradients developed on historic mine wastes, New Zealand journal October 2018
Computational Redox Potential Predictions: Applications to Inorganic and Organic Aqueous Complexes, and Complexes Adsorbed to Mineral Surfaces journal April 2014
Spin Transition during H 2 O 2 Formation in the Oxidative Half-Reaction of Copper Amine Oxidases journal September 2004
Quantum Calculation of Molecular Energies and Energy Gradients in Solution by a Conductor Solvent Model journal March 1998
Reactivity of the (100) Plane of Pyrite in Oxidizing Gaseous and Aqueous Environments:  Effects of Surface Imperfections journal December 1998
Reactivity of surface sites on fractured arsenopyrite (FeAsS) toward oxygen journal November 2000
On the stabilities of transition metal complexes—I Theory of the energies journal January 1956
Monitoring fundamental reactions at NiAsS surfaces by synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: As and S air oxidation by consecutive reaction schemes journal March 2003
The atomic and electronic structure of the (001) surface of monoclinic pyrrhotite (Fe7S8) as studied using STM, LEED and quantum mechanical calculations journal November 1997
Experimental observation of the effect of crystal field splitting on the electron density distribution of iron pyrite journal April 1980
Surface states on cubic d-band semiconductor pyrite (FeS2) journal August 1994
Surface defects and self-diffusion on pyrite {100}: An ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical modeling study journal October 2000
A Density Functional Theory Calculation of the Electronic Properties of Several High-Spin and Low-Spin Iron(II) Pyrazolylborate Complexes journal May 2008
Improved grid-based algorithm for Bader charge allocation journal January 2007
Sulfate-reducing bacteria influence the nucleation and growth of mackinawite and greigite journal January 2018
Low-Spin versus High-Spin Ground State in Pseudo-Octahedral Iron Complexes journal May 2012
Dissociation of O 2 at Al(111): The Role of Spin Selection Rules journal January 2005
X-ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopic study of the association of As(III) with nanoparticulate FeS and FeS-coated sand journal November 2011
An experimental and ab initio study on the abiotic reduction of uranyl by ferrous iron journal May 2015
Detection of sulphur and polysulphides on electrochemically oxidized pyrite surfaces by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy journal October 1990
Surface photovoltage measurements on pyrite (100) cleavage planes: Evidence for electronic bulk defects journal November 1994
Facile synthesis of FeS2 nanocrystals and their magnetic and electrochemical properties journal January 2013
The adsorption of gold to galena surfaces: Calculation of adsorption/reduction energies, reaction mechanisms, XPS spectra, and STM images journal September 1997
Energies, structures, and electronic properties of molecules in solution with the C-PCM solvation model journal April 2003
Taking a snapshot of the triplet excited state of an OLED organometallic luminophore using X-rays journal May 2020
Spin Forbidden Chemical Reactions of Transition Metal Compounds. New Ideas and New Computational Challenges journal April 2003
Chemistry of Iron Sulfides journal May 2007
Development of the Colle-Salvetti correlation-energy formula into a functional of the electron density text January 1988
Mineralogical applications of crystal field theory journal August 1994
Dissociation of O2 at Al(111): The Role of Spin Selection Rules text January 2004

Cited By (1)


Similar Records

Equilibrium Iron Isotope Fractionation Factors of Minerals: Reevaluation from the Data of Nuclear Inelastic Resonant X-ray Scattering and Mossbauer Spectroscopy
Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2007 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · OSTI ID:1529966

Investigating Abiotic and Biotic Mechanisms of Pyrite Reduction
Journal Article · Mon May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Frontiers in Microbiology · OSTI ID:1529966

Fate of cobalt and nickel in mackinawite during diagenetic pyrite formation
Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · American Mineralogist · OSTI ID:1529966