Frontiers in Geochemistry
2012
Dr. Glenn Waychunas
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Senior Staff Scientist
Principal Investigator, BES Geochemistry Program
ETB Columbia River Room
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
9:00 AM
Sum frequency optical techniques can be used to characterize reactive functional groups (hydroxyls, amines, carboxylates) on mineral surfaces with certain caveats. In the best cases direct comparisons can be made with surface x-ray scattering structural information, and acid-base protonation reactions can be explored in situ on a molecular basis. Applications to strongly colored or fluorescent minerals present problems, but there are strategies that can be used to work around these issues. Studies of organic molecule sorption and interfacial reactions appear very promising and are being developed. The talk will discuss how we hope to effectively merge information from surface x-ray scattering, sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy , and computational approaches to develop an improved picture of solid surface terminations, inorganic and organic sorbate binding, hydrogen bonding and local water structure.