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1. Electrocatalytic Production of H 2 O 2 by Selective Oxygen Reduction Using Earth-Abundant Cobalt Pyrite (CoS 2 )

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.9b02546  

   Sheng, Hongyuan ; Hermes, Eric D. ; Yang, Xiaohua ; Ying, Diwen ; Janes, Aurora N. ; Li, Wenjie ; Schmidt, J. R. ; Jin, Song ( August 2019 , ACS Catalysis)
2. Catalytic behavior of hexaphenyldisiloxane in the synthesis of pyrite FeS 2

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC03397A  

   Todd, Paul K. ; Martinolich, Andrew J. ; Neilson, James R. ( August 2020 , Chemical Communications)

   null (Ed.)

   Functional small molecules afford opportunities to direct solid-state inorganic reactions at low temperatures. Here, we use catalytic amounts of organosilicon molecules to influence the metathesis reaction: FeCl 2 + Na 2 S 2 → 2NaCl + FeS 2 . Specifically, hexaphenyldisiloxane ((C 6 H 5 ) 6 Si 2 O) is shown to increase pyrite yields in metathesis reactions performed at 150 °C. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) paired with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveals that diffusion-limited intermediates are circumvented in the presence of (C 6 H 5 ) 6 Si 2 O. Control reactions suggest that the observed change in the reaction pathway is imparted by the Si–O functional group. 1 H NMR supports catalytic behavior, as (C 6 H 5 ) 6 Si 2 O is unchanged ex post facto . Taken together, we hypothesize that the polar Si–O functional group coordinates to iron chloride species when NaCl and Na 2 S 4 form, forming an unidentified, transient intermediate. Further exploration of targeted small molecules in these metathesis reaction provides new strategies in controlling inorganic materials synthesis at low-temperatures. 

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3. Ultrafine Iron Pyrite (FeS 2 ) Nanocrystals Improve Sodium–Sulfur and Lithium–Sulfur Conversion Reactions for Efficient Batteries

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5b04700  

   Douglas, Anna ; Carter, Rachel ; Oakes, Landon ; Share, Keith ; Cohn, Adam P. ; Pint, Cary L. ( November 2015 , ACS Nano)
4. Reductive dissolution of pyrite by methanogenic archaea

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01028-3  

   Payne, Devon ; Spietz, Rachel L. ; Boyd, Eric S. ( December 2021 , The ISME Journal)

   Abstract The formation and fate of pyrite (FeS 2 ) modulates global iron, sulfur, carbon, and oxygen biogeochemical cycles and has done so since early in Earth’s geological history. A longstanding paradigm is that FeS 2 is stable at low temperature and is unavailable to microorganisms in the absence of oxygen and oxidative weathering. Here, we show that methanogens can catalyze the reductive dissolution of FeS 2 at low temperature (≤38 °C) and utilize dissolution products to meet cellular iron and sulfur demands associated with the biosynthesis of simple and complex co-factors. Direct access to FeS 2 is required to catalyze its reduction and/or to assimilate iron monosulfide that likely forms through coupled reductive dissolution and precipitation, consistent with close associations observed between cells and FeS 2 . These findings demonstrate that FeS 2 is bioavailable to anaerobic methanogens and can be mobilized in low temperature anoxic environments. Given that methanogens evolved at least 3.46 Gya, these data indicate that the microbial contribution to the iron and sulfur cycles in ancient and contemporary anoxic environments may be more complex and robust than previously recognized, with impacts on the sources and sinks of iron and sulfur and other bio-essential and thiophilic elements such as nickel and cobalt. 

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5. Experimental partitioning of osmium between pyrite and fluid: Constraints on the mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal flux of osmium to seawater

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2020.10.029  

   Syverson, Drew D. ; Katchinoff, Joachim A.R. ; Yohe, Laurel R. ; Tutolo, Benjamin M. ; Seyfried, William E. ; Rooney, Alan D. ( January 2021 , Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta)

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