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The dissolution rate of albite as a function of chemical affinity and the stoichiometry of activated complexes in aluminosilicate dissolution reactions

Conference · · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:5690806
;  [1]
  1. Univ. Paul Sabatier, Toulouse (France). Lab. de Geochimie
The dissolution rate of aluminosilicate minerals is commonly believed to follow transition state theory with the assumption that the activated complex has the same Al/Si ratio as the dissolving mineral. To assess the validity of this assumption, the dissolution rate of albite was measured at more than 50 different solution saturation states and Al/Si ratios at pH 9 and 150 C in a titanium mixed flow reactor. All experiments were carried out in NaCl solutions with a constant ionic strength of 0.1 molal. Stoichiometric dissolution was observed in all experiments. In contrast with the behavior typically predicted from transition state theory, the measured dissolution rates are a strong function of chemical affinity (A) at far from equilibrium conditions (A < [minus]10 kcal/mol). This behavior is apparently a consequence of the effect of Al concentration on the overall rate of reaction. At constant A, the albite dissolution rate decreases dramatically with increasing Al concentration which indicates that this reaction may be controlled by an aluminum deficient activated complex. This result is consistent with the kaolinite dissolution rates at pH 2 and pH 7.8 reported by Devidal et al. (1992). It follows that the dissolution of all aluminosilicate minerals may be controlled by similar aluminum deficient activated complexes, and the rate of geochemical processes in the Earth may be far different from that deduced from the traditional extrapolation of dissolution rate data obtained in stoichiometric solutions at far from equilibrium conditions by assuming activated complexes with the same Al/Si ratios as the dissolving minerals.
OSTI ID:
5690806
Report Number(s):
CONF-921058--
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 24:7
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English