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Zinc K -edge X-ray absorption near-edge (XANES) spectroscopy was conducted on 40 zinc mineral samples and organic compounds. The K -edge position varied from 9660.5 to 9666.0 eV and a variety of distinctive peaks at higher post-edge energies were exhibited by the materials. Zinc is in the +2 oxidation state in all analyzed materials, thus the variations in edge position and post-edge features reflect changes in zinc coordination. For some minerals, multiple specimens from different localities as well as pure forms from chemical supply companies were examined. These specimens had nearly identical K -edge and post-edge peak positions with only minor variation in the intensity of the post-edge peaks. This suggests that typical compositional variations in natural materials do not strongly affect spectral characteristics. Organic zinc compounds also exhibited a range of edge positions and post-edge features; however, organic compounds with similar zinc coordination structures had nearly identical spectra. Zinc XANES spectral patterns will allow identification of unknown zinc-containing minerals and organic phases in future studies.
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Potassium and Calcium K ‐Edge XANES in Chemical Compounds and Minerals: Implications for Geological Phase Identification
Potassium (K) and calcium (Ca)K‐edge X‐ray adsorption near‐edge (XANES) spectroscopy were performed on thirty‐three chemical compounds and geological materials, including chemical reagents, organometallic compounds, silicates, carbonates and igneous rock reference materials. The results confirm that the fine structure of theK‐edges for specimens is unique and distinguishable. The results suggest that compositional and local atomic variations strongly regulate spectral characteristics. Acquired XANES spectra with the library of distinctive spectral features of model references approve the fingerprint identification of different phases of K and Ca involved in geological materials. Moreover, this reveals that typical compositional changes in geological samples could strongly affect spectral features. As an example, we quantitatively determined the silicate species of K and Ca in two igneous rock reference materials by linear combination fitting. The dominant hosts and molecular environments of K and Ca can be interpreted based on pre‐edge/post‐edge peak position, intensity, shifts and resonance features, thus improving the understanding of the (bio)geochemical cycling, partitioning and isotopic fractionation of K and Ca. The outcomes serve as a complementary database for a vast number of scientific contexts, including aspects of geological and environment sciences.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1848153
- PAR ID:
- 10455499
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
- Volume:
- 44
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1639-4488
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 805-819
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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