Dispersion Effects on the Thermodynamics and Transition States of Dimethylarsinic Acid Adsorption on Hydrated Iron (Oxyhydr)oxide Clusters from Density Functional Theory Calculations.

Reaction pathway information and transition states are crucial for understanding adsorption mechanisms of pollutants, such as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), at the liquid-solid interface. We report a detailed computational analysis of the complexes of DMA on iron (oxyhydr)oxides, including activation energies, transition states, Gibbs free energies of adsorption, Mulliken charges, charge redistribution upon adsorption, and stretching frequencies of As-O bonds for comparison with experimental spectroscopic data. Calculations were performed using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level using both implicit and explicit hydration. For comparison, calculations were also performed for arsenate. Dispersion corrections were included since experimental data showed that DMA forms mostly outer-sphere complexes. Calculated electronic energies indicate that dispersion corrections are important when dealing with outer-sphere complexes, and that there is a high activation barrier of ca. 43 kJ mol-1 to transition from mono- to bidentate DMA complexes. Additionally, extending the modeled iron (oxyhydr)oxides surface to include four Fe centers and analyzing the charge distribution upon adsorption of DMA reveals that electrostatics play a role in the transition from outer-sphere to monodentate complexes. The significance of our results for the overall surface complexation mechanism of DMA and arsenate is discussed.

Density functional theory calculations on the complexation of p-arsanilic acid with hydrated iron oxide clusters: structures, reaction energies, and transition states.

Aromatic organoarsenicals, such as p-arsanilic acid (pAsA), are still used today as feed additives in the poultry and swine industries in developing countries. Through the application of contaminated litter as a fertilizer, these compounds enter the environment and interact with reactive soil components such as iron and aluminum oxides. Little is known about these surface interactions at the molecular level. We report density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the energies, optimal geometries, and vibrational frequencies for hydrated pAsA/iron oxide complexes, as well as changes in Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy for various types of ligand exchange reactions leading to both inner- and outer-sphere complexes. Similar calculations using arsenate are also shown for comparison, along with activation barriers and transition state geometries between inner-sphere complexes. Minimum energy calculations show that the formation of inner- and outer-sphere pAsA/iron oxide complexes is thermodynamically favorable, with the monodentate mononuclear complexes being the most favorable. Interatomic As-Fe distances are calculated to be between 3.3 and 3.5 Å for inner-sphere complexes and between 5.2 and 5.6 Å for outer-sphere complexes. In addition, transition state calculations show that activation energies greater than 23 kJ/mol are required to form the bidentate binuclear pAsA/iron oxide complexes, and that formation of arsenate bidentate binuclear complexes is thermodynamically -rather than kinetically- driven. Desorption thermodynamics using phosphate ions show that reactions are most favorable using HPO4(2-) species. The significance of our results for the overall surface complexation mechanism of pAsA and arsenate is discussed.

Thermodynamics of dimethylarsinic acid and arsenate interactions with hydrated iron-(oxyhydr)oxide clusters: DFT calculations.

Dimethylarsinic Acid (DMA) belongs to an important class of organoarsenical compounds commonly detected in arsenic speciation studies of environmental samples and pyrolysis products of fossil fuels. Transformation of DMA under certain conditions leads to the formation of other forms of arsenic, which could be more toxic than DMA to biota, and more efficient in deactivating catalysts used in petrochemical refining. Published surface sensitive X-ray and infrared spectroscopic work suggested that DMA simultaneously forms inner- and outer-sphere complexes with iron-(oxyhydr)oxides. Computational work on the complexation of arsenicals with various surfaces of environmental and industrial interest provides useful information that aids in the interpretation of experimental spectroscopic data as well as predictions of thermodynamic favorability of surface interactions. We report herein Gibbs free energies of adsorption, ΔG(ads), for various ligand exchange reactions between hydrated complexes of DMA and Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide clusters calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. Calculations using arsenate were also performed for comparison. Calculated As-(O,Fe) distances and stretching frequencies of As-O bonds are also reported for comparison with experimental spectroscopic data. Gibbs free energies of desorption, ΔG(des), due to reactions with phosphorus species at pH 7 are reported as well. Our results indicate that the formation of both inner- and outer-sphere DMA complexes is thermodynamically favorable, with the former having a more negative ΔG(ads). Values of ΔG(des) indicate that desorption favorability of DMA complexes increases in this order: bidentate < mondentate < outersphere. The significance of our results for the overall surface complexation mechanism of DMA is discussed.

Insights into the surface complexation of dimethylarsinic acid on iron (oxyhydr)oxides from ATR-FTIR studies and quantum chemical calculations.

The surface chemistry of methylated arsenicals with ubiquitous geosorbents and industrial catalysts is poorly understood. These arsenic compounds pose both a health and an environmental risk in addition to being a challenge to the energy industry. We report herein a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the surface structure of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) adsorbed on hematite and goethite using attenuated total internal reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Spectra of adsorbed DMA, DMA(ads), were collected in situ as a function of pH and ionic strength, using both H(2)O and D(2)O at 298 K in flow mode. Experimental data were complemented with DFT calculations of geometries and frequencies of hydrated DMA-iron oxide clusters. Results indicate the simultaneous formation of inner- and outer-sphere complexes with distinct spectral components. Desorption behavior of DMA due to chloride and phosphate was studied as a function of time from the decrease in the absorbance of apparent spectral features. The impact of our studies on the environmental fate of DMA in geochemical environments and the design of technologies to reduce arsenic content in fuels are discussed.