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

Title: Interaction of manganese(II) with the surface of calcite in dilute solutions and seawater

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5530808· OSTI ID:5530808

The interaction of Mn/sup 2 +/ with the surface of calcite in aqueous solutions is complex. In dilute solutions the Mn/sup 2 +/ is rapidly adsorbed, MnCO/sub 3/ nucleates on the calcite surface and then grows by a first order reaction with respect to the initial Mn/sup 2 +/ concentration. At higher ionic strengths, in NaCl solutions, the rate of these processes is slower, but the same general pattern persists. In solutions containing Mg/sup 2 +/, at the concentration of seawater and in seawater, the nucleation phase of the uptake process does not appear to occur. The long term uptake rate of Mn/sup 2 +/ on the surface of calcite in seawater is first order with respect to the disolved Mn/sup 2 +/ concentration. The rate constant is over 3 orders of magnitude smaller than that found in dilute Mg/sup 2 +/-free solutions. A probable explanation for the slower growith rate in seawater is that MnCO/sub 3/ is not nucleated on the calcite surface due to the presence of high Mg/sup 2 +/ concentrations. These, through site competition, prevent enough Mn/sup 2 +/ from being adsorbed to reach a critical concentration for MnCO/sub 3/ nucleation. This behavior is similar to that found for orthophosphate with calcite surfaces in dilute solutions and seawater. Measurements of the solubility of rhodochrosite in seawater gave results from an undersaturation approach to equilibrium in excellent agreement with those found in previous studies in dilute solutions. When equilibrium was approached from supersaturation, approximately 50 times more calcium was precipitated than Mn/sup 2 +/. The measured solubility was over twice that determined from undersaturation. It is possible that a Mn-calcite containing 25 to 30 mole percent MnCO/sub 3/ formed on the rhodochrosite from the supersaturated solutions. Consequently, it is doubtful that rhodochrosite controls the concentration of Mn/sup 2 +/ in calcium carbonate rich marine environments.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Miami Univ., FL (USA). Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
5530808
Report Number(s):
LBL-13707; ON: DE82011104
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

New insights into Mn2+ and Mg2+ inhibition of calcite growth
Journal Article · Mon Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · OSTI ID:5530808

Growth and Dissolution of Iron and Manganese Oxide Films
Technical Report · Mon Dec 22 00:00:00 EST 2008 · OSTI ID:5530808

Auger spectroscopy analysis of magnesian calcite overgrowths precipitated from seawater and solutions of similar composition
Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1985 · Am. J. Sci.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5530808