Inhibition of Extracellular Enzyme Activity by Reactive Oxygen Species upon Oxygenation of Reduced Iron-Bearing Minerals.

The dual roles of minerals in inhibiting and prolonging extracellular enzyme activity in soils and sediments are governed by enzyme adsorption to mineral surfaces. Oxygenation of mineral-bound Fe(II) generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), yet it is unknown whether and how this process alters the activity and functional lifespan of extracellular enzymes. Here, the effect of mineral-bound Fe(II) oxidation on the hydrolytic activity of a cellulose-degrading enzyme ß-glucosidase (BG) was studied using two pre-reduced Fe-bearing clay minerals (nontronite and montmorillonite) and one pre-reduced iron oxide (magnetite) at pH 5 and 7. Under anoxic conditions, BG adsorption to mineral surfaces decreased its activity but prolonged its lifespan. Under oxic conditions, ROS was produced, with the amount of •OH, the most abundant ROS, being positively correlated with the extent of structural Fe(II) oxidation in reduced minerals. •OH decreased BG activity and shortened its lifespan via conformational change and structural decomposition of BG. These results suggest that under oxic conditions, the ROS-induced inhibitory role of Fe(II)-bearing minerals outweighed their adsorption-induced protective role in controlling enzyme activity. These results disclose a previously unknown mechanism of extracellular enzyme inactivation, which have pivotal implications for predicting the active enzyme pool in redox-oscillating environments.

Nitrate Controls on the Extent and Type of Metal Retention in Fine-Grained Sediments of a Simulated Aquifer.

Aquifer groundwater quality is largely controlled by sediment composition and physical heterogeneity, which commonly sustains a unique redox gradient pattern. Attenuation of heavy metals within these heterogeneous aquifers is reliant on multiple factors, including redox conditions and redox-active species that can further influence biogeochemical cycling. Here, we simulated an alluvial aquifer system using columns filled with natural coarse-grained sediments and two domains of fine-grained sediment lenses. Our goal was to examine heavy metal (Ni and Zn) attenuation within a complex aquifer network and further explore nitrate-rich groundwater conditions. The fine-grained sediment lenses sustained reducing conditions and served as a sink for Ni sequestration─in the form of Ni-silicates, Ni-organic matter, and a dominant Ni-sulfide phase. The silicate clay and sulfide pools were also important retention mechanisms for Zn; however, Ni was associated more extensively with organic matter compared to Zn, which formed layered double hydroxides. Nitrate-rich conditions promoted denitrification within the lenses that was coupled to the oxidation of Fe(II) and the concomitant precipitation of an Fe(III) phase with higher structural distortion. A decreased metal sulfide pool also resulted, where nitrate-rich conditions generated an average 20% decrease in solid-phase Ni, Zn, and Fe. Ultimately, nitrate plays a significant role in the aquifer's biogeochemical cycling and the capacity to retain heavy metals.

Redox Fluctuations Control the Coupled Cycling of Iron and Carbon in Tropical Forest Soils.

Oscillating redox conditions are a common feature of humid tropical forest soils, driven by an ample supply and dynamics of reductants, high moisture, microbial oxygen consumption, and finely textured clays that limit diffusion. However, the net result of variable soil redox regimes on iron (Fe) mineral dynamics and associated carbon (C) forms and fluxes is poorly understood in tropical soils. Using a 44-day redox incubation experiment with humid tropical forest soils from Puerto Rico, we examined patterns in Fe and C transformations under four redox regimes: static anoxic, "flux 4-day" (4d oxic, 4d anoxic), "flux 8-day" (8d oxic, 4d anoxic) and static oxic. Prolonged anoxia promoted reductive dissolution of Fe-oxides, and led to an increase in soluble Fe(II) and amorphous Fe oxide pools. Preferential dissolution of the less-crystalline Fe pool was evident immediately following a shift in bulk redox status (oxic to anoxic), and coincided with increased dissolved organic C, presumably due to acidification or direct release of organic matter (OM) from dissolving Fe(III) mineral phases. The average nominal oxidation state of water-soluble C was lowest under persistent anoxic conditions, suggesting that more reduced organic compounds were metabolically unavailable for microbial consumption under reducing conditions. Anoxic soil compounds had high H/C values (and were similar to lignin-like compounds) whereas oxic soil compounds had higher O/C values, akin to tannin- and cellulose-like components. Cumulative respiration derived from native soil organic C was highest in static oxic soils. These results show how Fe minerals and Fe-OM interactions in tropical soils are highly sensitive to variable redox effects. Shifting soil oxygen availability rapidly impacted exchanges between mineral-sorbed and aqueous C pools, increased the dissolved organic C pool under anoxic conditions implying that the periodicity of low-redox events may control the fate of C in wet tropical soils.

Reduced Magnetism in Core-Shell Magnetite@MOF Composites.

The magnetic susceptibility of synthesized magnetite (Fe3O4) microspheres was found to decline after the growth of a metal-organic framework (MOF) shell on the magnetite core. Detailed structural analysis of the core-shell particles using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atom probe tomography, and57Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy suggests that the distribution of MOF precursors inside the magnetic core resulted in the oxidation of the iron oxide core.

Solid-Phase Fe Speciation along the Vertical Redox Gradients in Floodplains using XAS and Mössbauer Spectroscopies.

Properties of Fe minerals are poorly understood in natural soils and sediments with variable redox conditions. In this study, we combined 57Fe Mössbauer and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) techniques to assess solid-phase Fe speciation along the vertical redox gradients of floodplains, which exhibited a succession of oxic, anoxic, and suboxic-oxic zones with increasing depth along the vertical profiles. The incised stream channel is bounded on the east by a narrow floodplain and a steep hillslope, and on the west by a broad floodplain. In the eastern floodplain, the anoxic conditions at the intermediate horizon (55-80 cm) coincided with lower Fe(III)-oxides (particularly ferrihydrite), in concurrence with a greater reduction of phyllosilicates(PS)-Fe(III) to PS-Fe(II), relative to the oxic near-surface and sandy gravel layers. In addition, the anoxic conditions in the eastern floodplain coincided with increased crystallinity of goethite, relative to the oxic layers. In the most reduced intermediate sediments at 80-120 cm of the western floodplain, no Fe(III)-oxides were detected, concurrent with the greatest PS-Fe(III) reduction (PS-Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio ≈ 1.2 (Mössbauer) or 0.8 (XAS)). In both oxic near-surface horizon and oxic-suboxic gravel aquifers beneath the soil horizons, Fe(III)-oxides were mainly present as ferrihydrite with a much less amount of goethite, which preferentially occurred as nanogoethite or Al/Si-substituted goethite. Ferrihydrite with varying crystallinity or impurities such as organic matter, Al or Si, persisted under suboxic-oxic conditions in the floodplain. This study indicates that vertical redox gradients exert a major control on the quantity and speciation of Fe(III) oxides as well as the oxidation state of structural Fe in PS, which could significantly affect nutrient cycling and carbon (de)stabilization.

Mössbauer Spectral Properties of Yttrium Iron Garnet, Y3Fe5O12, and Its Isovalent and Nonisovalent Yttrium-Substituted Solid Solutions.

Several high-resolution Mössbauer spectra of yttrium iron garnet, Y3Fe5O12, have been fit as a function of temperature with a new model based on a detailed analysis of the spectral changes that result from a reduction from the cubic Ia3̅d space group to the trigonal R3̅ space group. These spectral fits indicate that the magnetic sextet arising from the 16a site in cubic symmetry is subdivided into three sextets arising from the 6f, the 3d, 3d, and the 1a, 1b, 2c sites in rhombohedral-axis trigonal symmetry. The 24d site in cubic Ia3̅d symmetry is subdivided into four sextets arising from four different 6f sites in R3̅ rhombohedral-axis trigonal symmetry, sites that differ only by the angles between the principal axis of the electric field gradient tensor and the magnetic hyperfine field assumed to be parallel with the magnetic easy axis. This analysis, when applied to the potential nuclear waste storage compounds Y(3-x)Ca(0.5x)Th(0.5x)Fe5O12 and Y(3-x)Ca(0.5x)Ce(0.5x)Fe5O12, indicates virtually no perturbation of the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties upon substitution of small amounts of calcium(II) and thorium(IV) or cerium(IV) onto the yttrium(III) 24c site as compared with Y3Fe5O12. The observed broadening of the four different 6f sites derived from the 24d site results from the substitution of yttrium(III) with calcium(II) and thorium(IV) or cerium(IV) cations on the next-nearest neighbor 24c site. In contrast, the same analysis applied to Y(2.8)Ce(0.2)Fe5O12 indicates a local perturbation of the magnetic exchange pathways as a result of the presence of cerium(IV) in the 24c next-nearest neighbor site of the iron(III) 24d site.

Charge-coupled substituted garnets (Y3-xCa0.5xM0.5x)Fe5O12 (M = Ce, Th): structure and stability as crystalline nuclear waste forms.

The garnet structure has been proposed as a potential crystalline nuclear waste form for accommodation of actinide elements, especially uranium (U). In this study, yttrium iron garnet (YIG) as a model garnet host was studied for the incorporation of U analogs, cerium (Ce) and thorium (Th), incorporated by a charge-coupled substitution with calcium (Ca) for yttrium (Y) in YIG, namely, 2Y(3+) = Ca(2+) + M(4+), where M(4+) = Ce(4+) or Th(4+). Single-phase garnets Y3-xCa0.5xM0.5xFe5O12 (x = 0.1-0.7) were synthesized by the citrate-nitrate combustion method. Ce was confirmed to be tetravalent by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and (57)Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy indicated that M(4+) and Ca(2+) cations are restricted to the c site, and the local environments of both the tetrahedral and the octahedral Fe(3+) are systematically affected by the extent of substitution. The charge-coupled substitution has advantages in incorporating Ce/Th and in stabilizing the substituted phases compared to a single substitution strategy. Enthalpies of formation of garnets were obtained by high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry, and the enthalpies of substitution of Ce and Th were determined. The thermodynamic analysis demonstrates that the substituted garnets are entropically rather than energetically stabilized. This suggests that such garnets may form and persist in repositories at high temperature but might decompose near room temperature.

Influence of Coprecipitated Organic Matter on Fe2+(aq)-Catalyzed Transformation of Ferrihydrite: Implications for Carbon Dynamics.

Aqueous Fe(II) is known to catalyze the abiotic transformation of ferrihydrite to more stable Fe minerals. However, little is known about the impacts of coprecipitated OM on Fe(II)-catalyzed ferrihydrite transformation and its consequences for C dynamics. Accordingly, we investigated the extent and pathway of Fe(II)-induced transformation of OM-ferrihydrite coprecipitates as a function of C/Fe ratios and aqueous Fe(II) concentrations, and its implications for subsequent C dynamics. The coprecipitated OM resulted in a linear decrease in ferrihydrite transformation with increasing C/Fe ratios. The secondary mineral profiles upon Fe(II) reaction with OM-ferrihydrite coprecipitates depend on Fe(II) concentrations At 0.2 mM Fe(II), OM completely inhibited goethite formation and stimulated lepidocrocite formation. At 2 mM Fe(II), whereas goethite was formed in the presence of OM, OM reduced the amount of goethite and magnetite formation and increased the formation of lepidocrocite. The solid-phase C content remained unchanged after reaction, suggesting that OM remains associated with Fe minerals following ferrihydrite transformation to more stable Fe minerals. However, C desorbability by H2PO4(-) from the resulting Fe minerals following reaction was enhanced. The study indicates a "lepidocrocite favoring effect" by OM and suggests that Fe(II)-catalyzed transformation of ferrihydrite may decrease OM stability in natural environments under moderately reducing conditions.

Biological redox cycling of iron in nontronite and its potential application in nitrate removal.

Biological redox cycling of structural Fe in phyllosilicates is an important but poorly understood process. The objective of this research was to study microbially mediated redox cycles of Fe in nontronite (NAu-2). During the reduction phase, structural Fe(III) in NAu-2 served as electron acceptor, lactate as electron donor, AQDS as electron shuttle, and dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 as mediator in bicarbonate- and PIPES-buffered media. During the oxidation phase, biogenic Fe(II) served as electron donor and nitrate as electron acceptor. Nitrate-dependent Fe(II)-oxidizing bacterium Pseudogulbenkiania sp. strain 2002 was added as mediator in the same media. For all three cycles, structural Fe in NAu-2 was able to reversibly undergo three redox cycles without significant dissolution. Fe(II) in bioreduced samples occurred in two distinct environments, at edges and in the interior of the NAu-2 structure. Nitrate reduction to nitrogen gas was coupled with oxidation of edge-Fe(II) and part of interior-Fe(II) under both buffer conditions, and its extent and rate did not change with Fe redox cycles. These results suggest that biological redox cycling of structural Fe in phyllosilicates is a reversible process and has important implications for biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients in natural environments.

Organic matter remineralization predominates phosphorus cycling in the mid-Bay sediments in the Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Bay, the largest and most productive estuary in the U.S., suffers from varying degrees of water quality issues fueled by both point and nonpoint nutrient sources. Restoration of the Bay is complicated by the multitude of nutrient sources, their variable inputs, and complex interaction between imported and regenerated nutrients. These complexities not only restrict formulation of effective restoration plans but also open up debates on accountability issues with nutrient loading. A detailed understanding of sediment phosphorus (P) dynamics provides information useful in identifying the exchange of dissolved constituents across the sediment-water interface as well as helps to better constrain the mechanisms and processes controlling the coupling between sediments and the overlying waters. Here we used phosphate oxygen isotope ratios (δ(18)O(P)) in concert with sediment chemistry, X-ray diffraction, and Mössbauer spectroscopy on sediments retrieved from an organic rich, sulfidic site in the mesohaline portion of the mid-Bay to identify sources and pathway of sedimentary P cycling and to infer potential feedbacks on bottom water hypoxia and surface water eutrophication. Authigenic phosphate isotope data suggest that the regeneration of inorganic P from organic matter degradation (remineralization) is the predominant, if not sole, pathway for authigenic P precipitation in the mid-Bay sediments. This indicates that the excess inorganic P generated by remineralization should have overwhelmed any pore water and/or bottom water because only a fraction of this precipitates as authigenic P. This is the first research that identifies the predominance of remineralization pathway and recycling of P within the Chesapeake Bay. Therefore, these results have significant implications on the current understanding of sediment P cycling and P exchange across the sediment-water interface in the Bay, particularly in terms of the sources and pathways of P that sustain hypoxia and may potentially support phytoplankton growth in the surface water.

(99)Tc(VII) Retardation, Reduction, and Redox Rate Scaling in Naturally Reduced Sediments.

An experimental and modeling study was conducted to investigate pertechnetate (Tc(VII)O4(-)) retardation, reduction, and rate scaling in three sediments from Ringold formation at U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site, where (99)Tc is a major contaminant in groundwater. Tc(VII) was reduced in all the sediments in both batch reactors and diffusion columns, with a faster rate in a sediment containing a higher concentration of HCl-extractable Fe(II). Tc(VII) migration in the diffusion columns was reductively retarded with retardation degrees correlated with Tc(VII) reduction rates. The reduction rates were faster in the diffusion columns than those in the batch reactors, apparently influenced by the spatial distribution of redox-reactive minerals along transport paths that supplied Tc(VII). X-ray computed tomography and autoradiography were performed to identify the spatial locations of Tc(VII) reduction and transport paths in the sediments, and results generally confirmed the newly found behavior of reaction rate changes from batch to column. The results from this study implied that Tc(VII) migration can be reductively retarded at Hanford site with a retardation degree dependent on reactive Fe(II) content and its distribution in sediments. This study also demonstrated that an effective reaction rate may be faster in transport systems than that in well-mixed reactors.

Oxidative remobilization of technetium sequestered by sulfide-transformed nano zerovalent iron.

Our previous study showed that formation of TcS2-like phases is favored over TcO2 under sulfidic conditions stimulated by nano zerovalent iron. This study further investigates the stability of Tc(IV) sulfide upon reoxidation by solution chemistry, solid phase characterization, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Tc dissolution data showed that Tc(VII) reduced by sulfide-transformed nZVI has substantially slower reoxidation kinetics than Tc(VII) reduced by nZVI only. The initial inhibition of Tc(IV) dissolution at S/Fe = 0.112 is due to the redox buffer capacity of FeS, which is evidenced by the parallel trends in oxidation-reduction potentials (ORP) and Tc dissolution kinetics. The role of FeS in inhibiting Tc oxidation is further supported by the Mössbauer spectroscopy and micro X-ray diffraction data at S/Fe = 0.112, showing persistence of FeS after 24-h oxidation but complete oxidation after 120-h oxidation. X-ray absorption spectroscopy data for S/Fe = 0.011 showed significantly increasing percentages of TcS2 in the solid phase after 24-h oxidation, indicating stronger resistance of TcS2 to oxidation. At S/Fe = 0.112, the XAS results revealed significant transformation of Tc speciation from TcS2 to TcO2 after 120-h oxidation. Given that no apparent Tc dissolution occurred during this period, the speciation transformation might play a secondary role in hindering Tc oxidation. Collectively, the results indicate that sequestrating Tc as TcS2 under stimulated sulfate reduction is a promising strategy to improve the long-term stability of reduced Tc in subsurface remediation.

Abiotic reductive immobilization of U(VI) by biogenic mackinawite.

During subsurface bioremediation of uranium-contaminated sites, indigenous metal and sulfate-reducing bacteria may utilize a variety of electron acceptors, including ferric iron and sulfate that could lead to the formation of various biogenic minerals in situ. Sulfides, as well as structural and adsorbed Fe(II) associated with biogenic Fe(II)-sulfide phases, can potentially catalyze abiotic U(VI) reduction via direct electron transfer processes. In the present work, the propensity of biogenic mackinawite (Fe 1+x S, x = 0 to 0.11) to reduce U(VI) abiotically was investigated. The biogenic mackinawite produced by Shewanella putrefaciens strain CN32 was characterized by employing a suite of analytical techniques including TEM, SEM, XAS, and Mössbauer analyses. Nanoscale and bulk analyses (microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, respectively) of biogenic mackinawite after exposure to U(VI) indicate the formation of nanoparticulate UO2. This study suggests the relevance of sulfide-bearing biogenic minerals in mediating abiotic U(VI) reduction, an alternative pathway in addition to direct enzymatic U(VI) reduction.

Reductive sequestration of pertechnetate (99TcO4⁻) by nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) transformed by abiotic sulfide.

Under anoxic conditions, soluble pertechnetate (99TcO4⁻) can be reduced to less soluble TcO2·nH2O, but the oxide is highly susceptible to reoxidation. Here we investigate an alternative strategy for remediation of Tc-contaminated groundwater whereby sequestration as Tc sulfide is favored by sulfidic conditions stimulated by nano zerovalent iron (nZVI). nZVI was pre-exposed to increasing concentrations of sulfide in simulated Hanford groundwater for 24 h to mimic the onset of aquifer biotic sulfate reduction. Solid-phase characterizations of the sulfidated nZVI confirmed the formation of nanocrystalline FeS phases, but higher S/Fe ratios (>0.112) did not result in the formation of significantly more FeS. The kinetics of Tc sequestration by these materials showed faster Tc removal rates with increasing S/Fe between 0 and 0.056, but decreasing Tc removal rates with S/Fe > 0.224. The more favorable Tc removal kinetics at low S/Fe could be due to a higher affinity of TcO4⁻ for FeS than iron oxides, and electron microscopy confirmed that the majority of the Tc was associated with FeS phases. The inhibition of Tc removal at high S/Fe appears to have been caused by excess HS(-). X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that as S/Fe increased, the pathway for Tc(IV) formation shifted from TcO2·nH22 to Tc sulfide phases. The most substantial change of Tc speciation occurred at low S/Fe, coinciding with the rapid increase in Tc removal rate. This agreement further confirms the importance of FeS in Tc sequestration.

Structure and composition of natural ferrihydrite nano-colloids in anoxic groundwater.

Fe-rich mobile colloids play vital yet poorly understood roles in the biogeochemical cycling of Fe in groundwater by influencing organic matter (OM) preservation and fluxes of Fe, OM, and other essential (micro-)nutrients. Yet, few studies have provided molecular detail on the structures and compositions of Fe-rich mobile colloids and factors controlling their persistence in natural groundwater. Here, we provide comprehensive new information on the sizes, molecular structures, and compositions of Fe-rich mobile colloids that accounted for up to 72% of aqueous Fe in anoxic groundwater from a redox-active floodplain. The mobile colloids are multi-phase assemblages consisting of Si-coated ferrihydrite nanoparticles and Fe(II)-OM complexes. Ferrihydrite nanoparticles persisted under both oxic and anoxic conditions, which we attribute to passivation by Si and OM. These findings suggest that mobile Fe-rich colloids generated in floodplains can persist during transport through redox-variable soils and could be discharged to surface waters. These results shed new light on their potential to transport Fe, OM, and nutrients across terrestrial-aquatic interfaces.

Microbial lithotrophic oxidation of structural Fe(II) in biotite.

Microorganisms are known to participate in the weathering of primary phyllosilicate minerals through the production of organic ligands and acids and through the uptake of products of weathering. Here we show that the lithotrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing, nitrate-reducing enrichment culture described by Straub et al. (K. L. Straub, M. Benz, B. Schink, and F. Widdel, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:1458-1460, 1996) can grow via oxidation of structural Fe(II) in biotite, a Fe(II)-rich trioctahedral mica found in granitic rocks. Oxidation of silt/clay-sized biotite particles was detected by a decrease in extractable Fe(II) content and simultaneous nitrate reduction. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed structural Fe(II) oxidation. Approximately 1.5 × 10(7) cells were produced per µmol of Fe(II) oxidized, in agreement with previous estimates of the growth yield of lithoautotrophic circumneutral-pH Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria. Microbial oxidation of structural Fe(II) resulted in biotite alterations similar to those found in nature, including a decrease in the unit cell b dimension toward dioctahedral levels and Fe and K release. Structural Fe(II) oxidation may involve either direct enzymatic oxidation, followed by solid-state mineral transformation, or indirect oxidation as a result of the formation of aqueous Fe, followed by electron transfer from Fe(II) in the mineral to Fe(III) in solution. Although it is not possible to distinguish between these two mechanisms with available data, the complete absence of aqueous Fe in oxidation experiments favors the former alternative. The demonstration of microbial oxidation of structural Fe(II) suggests that microorganisms are directly responsible for the initial step in the weathering of biotite in granitic aquifers and the plant rhizosphere.

Isolation and microbial reduction of Fe(III) phyllosilicates from subsurface sediments.

Fe(III)-bearing phyllosilicates can be important sources of Fe(III) for dissimilatory microbial iron reduction in clay-rich anoxic soils and sediments. The goal of this research was to isolate Fe(III) phyllosilicate phases, and if possible, Fe(III) oxide phases, from a weathered shale saprolite sediment in order to permit experimentation with each phase in isolation. Physical partitioning by density gradient centrifugation did not separate phyllosilicate and Fe(III) oxide phases (primarily nanoparticulate goethite). Hence we examined the ability of chemical extraction methods to remove Fe(III) oxides without significantly altering the properties of the phyllosilicates. XRD analysis showed that extraction with acid ammonium oxalate (AAO) or AAO in the presence of added Fe(II) altered the structure of Fe-bearing phyllosilicates in the saprolite. In contrast, citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate (CDB) extraction at room temperature or 80 °C led to minimal alteration of phyllosilicate structures. Reoxidation of CDB-extracted sediment with H(2)O(2) restored phyllosilicate mineral d-spacing and Fe redox speciation to conditions similar to that in the pristine sediment. The extent of microbial (Geobacter sulfurreducens) reduction of Fe(III) phyllosilicates isolated by CDB extraction and H(2)O(2) reoxidation (16 ± 3% reduction) was comparable to what took place in pristine sediments as determined by Mossbauer spectroscopy (20 ± 11% reduction). These results suggest that materials isolated by CDB extraction and H(2)O(2) reoxidation are appropriate targets for detailed studies of natural soil/sediment Fe(III) phyllosilicate reduction.

Microbial reductive transformation of phyllosilicate Fe(III) and U(VI) in fluvial subsurface sediments.

The microbial reduction of Fe(III) and U(VI) was investigated in shallow aquifer sediments collected from subsurface flood deposits near the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in Washington State. Increases in 0.5 N HCl-extractable Fe(II) were observed in incubated sediments and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed that Fe(III) associated with phyllosilicates and pyroxene was reduced to Fe(II). Aqueous uranium(VI) concentrations decreased in subsurface sediments incubated in sulfate-containing synthetic groundwater with the rate and extent being greater in sediment amended with organic carbon. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of bioreduced sediments indicated that 67-77% of the U signal was U(VI), probably as an adsorbed species associated with a new or modified reactive mineral phase. Phylotypes within the Deltaproteobacteria were more common in Hanford sediments incubated with U(VI) than without, and in U(VI)-free incubations, members of the Clostridiales were dominant with sulfate-reducing phylotypes more common in the sulfate-amended sediments. These results demonstrate the potential for anaerobic reduction of phyllosilicate Fe(III) and sulfate in Hanford unconfined aquifer sediments and biotransformations involving reduction and adsorption leading to decreased aqueous U concentrations.

Strong Purcell enhancement at telecom wavelengths afforded by spinel Fe3O4 nanocrystals with size-tunable plasmonic properties.

Developments in the field of nanoplasmonics have the potential to advance applications from information processing and telecommunications to light-based sensing. Traditionally, nanoscale noble metals such as gold and silver have been used to achieve the targeted enhancements in light-matter interactions that result from the presence of localized surface plasmons (LSPs). However, interest has recently shifted to intrinsically doped semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) for their ability to display LSP resonances (LSPRs) over a much broader spectral range, including the infrared (IR). Among semiconducting plasmonic NCs, spinel metal oxides (sp-MOs) are an emerging class of materials with distinct advantages in accessing the telecommunications bands in the IR and affording useful environmental stability. Here, we report the plasmonic properties of Fe3O4 sp-MO NCs, known previously only for their magnetic functionality, and demonstrate their ability to modify the light-emission properties of telecom-emitting quantum dots (QDs). We establish the synthetic conditions for tuning sp-MO NC size, composition and doping characteristics, resulting in unprecedented tunability of electronic behavior and plasmonic response over 450 nm. In particular, with diameter-dependent variations in free-electron concentration across the Fe3O4 NC series, we introduce a strong NC size dependency onto the optical response. In addition, our observation of plasmonics-enhanced decay rates from telecom-emitting QDs reveals Purcell enhancement factors for simple plasmonic-spacer-emitter sandwich structures up to 51-fold, which are comparable to values achieved previously only for emitters in the visible range coupled with conventional noble metal NCs.

Biotic and abiotic pathways of phosphorus cycling in minerals and sediments: insights from oxygen isotope ratios in phosphate.

A key question to address in the development of oxygen isotope ratios in phosphate (δ(18)O(p)) as a tracer of biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus in ancient and modern environments is the nature of isotopic signatures associated with uptake and cycling of mineral-bound phosphate by microorganisms. Here, we present experimental results aimed at understanding the biotic and abiotic pathways of P cycling during biological uptake of phosphate sorbed to ferrihydrite and the selective uptake of sedimentary phosphate phases by Escherichia coli and Marinobacter aquaeolei. Results indicate that a significant fraction of ferrihydrite-bound phosphate is biologically available. The fraction of phosphate taken up by E. coli attained an equilibrium isotopic composition in a short time (<50 h) due to efficient O-isotope exchange (between O in PO(4) and O in water; that is, actual breaking and reforming of P-O bonds) (biotic pathway). The difference in isotopic composition between newly equilibrated aqueous and residual sorbed phosphate groups promoted the ion exchange (analogous to isotopic mixing) of intact phosphate ions (abiotic pathway) so that this difference gradually became negligible. In sediment containing different P phases, E. coli extracted loosely sorbed phosphate first, whereas M. aquaeolei preferred Fe-oxide-bound phosphate. The presence of bacteria always imprinted a biotic isotopic signature on the P phase that was taken up and cycled. For example, the δ(18)O(p) value of loosely sorbed phosphate shifted gradually toward equilibrium isotopic composition. The δ(18)O(p) value of Fe-oxide-bound phosphate, however, showed only slight changes initially but, when new Fe-oxides were formed, coprecipitated/occluded phosphate retained δ(18)O values of the aqueous phosphate at the time of formation of new Fe oxides. Concentrations and isotopic compositions of authigenic and detrital phosphates did not change, suggesting that these phosphate phases were not utilized by bacteria. These findings support burgeoning applications of δ(18)O(p) as a tracer of phosphorus cycling in sediments, soils, and aquatic environments and as an indicator of paleo- environmental conditions.