Arsenic Incorporation in Pyrite at Ambient Temperature at Both Tetrahedral S-I and Octahedral FeII Sites: Evidence from EXAFS-DFT Analysis.

ABSTRACT

Pyrite is a ubiquitous mineral in reducing environments and is well-known to incorporate trace elements such as Co, Ni, Se, Au, and commonly As. Indeed, As-bearing pyrite is observed in a wide variety of sedimentary environments, making it a major sink for this toxic metalloid. Based on the observation of natural hydrothermal pyrites, As-I is usually assigned to the occupation of tetrahedral S-I sites, with the same oxidation state as in arsenopyrite (FeAsS), although rare occurrences of AsIII and AsII have been reported. However, the modes of As incorporation into pyrite during its crystallization under low-temperature diagenetic conditions have not yet been elucidated because arsenic acts as an inhibitor for pyrite nucleation at ambient temperature. Here, we provide evidence from X-ray absorption spectroscopy for AsII,III incorporation into pyrite at octahedral FeII sites and for As-I at tetrahedral S-I sites during crystallization at ambient temperature. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra of these As-bearing pyrites are explained by local structure models obtained using density functional theory (DFT), assuming incorporation of As at the Fe and S sites, as well as local clustering of arsenic. Such observations of As-I incorporation at ambient temperature can aid in the understanding of the early formation of authigenic arsenian pyrite in subsurface sediments. Moreover, evidence for substitution of AsII,III for Fe in our synthetic samples raises questions about both the possible occurrence and the geochemical reactivity of such As-bearing pyrites in low-temperature subsurface environments.