Connecting observations of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) growth catalyzed by Fe(II).

Electron exchange between aqueous Fe(II) and structural Fe(III) in iron oxides and oxyhydroxides is important for understanding degradation of environmental pollutants through its apparent constitutive role underlying highly reactive "sorbed Fe(II)" and by catalyzing phase interconversion among these minerals. Although a mechanistic understanding of relationships between interfacial Fe(II)(ads)-Fe(III)(oxide) electron transfer, bulk electron conduction, Fe(II) release, and phase transformation behavior is emerging, much remains unclear, in part due to poorly interconnected investigations. The focus of this study is on reconciling two mutually similar observations of Fe(II)-catalyzed hematite growth documented spectroscopically and microscopically under substantially different chemical conditions. Here, we employ iron isotopic labeling to demonstrate that hematite grown on the (001) surface in Fe(II)-oxalate solution at pH 2.10 and 348 K has magnetic properties that closely correspond to those of hematite grown in Fe(II) solution at pH 7.4 and room temperature. The temperature evolution and extent of the Morin transition displayed in these two materials strongly suggest a mechanistic link involving trace structural Fe(II) incorporation into the growing hematite. Our findings indicate that Fe(II) catalyzed growth of hematite on hematite can occur under environmentally relevant conditions and may be due to bulk electron conduction previously demonstrated for hematite single crystals.

Linked reactivity at mineral-water interfaces through bulk crystal conduction.

The semiconducting properties of a wide range of minerals are often ignored in the study of their interfacial geochemical behavior. We show that surface-specific charge density accumulation reactions combined with bulk charge carrier diffusivity create conditions under which interfacial electron transfer reactions at one surface couple with those at another via current flow through the crystal bulk. Specifically, we observed that a chemically induced surface potential gradient across hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) crystals is sufficiently high and the bulk electrical resistivity sufficiently low that dissolution of edge surfaces is linked to simultaneous growth of the crystallographically distinct (001) basal plane. The apparent importance of bulk crystal conduction is likely to be generalizable to a host of naturally abundant semiconducting minerals playing varied key roles in soils, sediments, and the atmosphere.

Bismuth dimercaptopropanol (BisBAL) inhibits the expression of extracellular polysaccharides and proteins by Brevundimonas diminuta: implications for membrane microfiltration.

A 2:1 molar ratio preparation of bismuth with a lipophilic dithiol (3-dimercapto-1-propanol, BAL) significantly reduced extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) expression by Brevundimonas diminuta in suspended cultures at levels just below the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Total polysaccharides and proteins secreted by B. diminuta decreased by approximately 95% over a 5-day period when exposed to the bismuth-BAL chelate (BisBAL) at near MIC (12 microM). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) suggested that a possible mechanism of biofilm disruption by BisBAL is the inhibition of carbohydrate O-acetylation. FTIR also revealed extensive homology between EPS samples with and without BisBAL treatment, with proteins, polysaccharides, and peptides varying predominantly only in the amount expressed. EPS secretion decreased following BisBAL treatment as verified by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Without BisBAL treatment, a slime-like EPS matrix secreted by B. diminuta resulted in biofouling and inefficient hydrodynamic backwashing of microfiltration membranes.

Electrically conductive bacterial nanowires produced by Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 and other microorganisms.

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 produced electrically conductive pilus-like appendages called bacterial nanowires in direct response to electron-acceptor limitation. Mutants deficient in genes for c-type decaheme cytochromes MtrC and OmcA, and those that lacked a functional Type II secretion pathway displayed nanowires that were poorly conductive. These mutants were also deficient in their ability to reduce hydrous ferric oxide and in their ability to generate current in a microbial fuel cell. Nanowires produced by the oxygenic phototrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 and the thermophilic, fermentative bacterium Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum reveal that electrically conductive appendages are not exclusive to dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria and may, in fact, represent a common bacterial strategy for efficient electron transfer and energy distribution.