Distinctive arsenic(V) trapping modes by magnetite nanoparticles induced by different sorption processes.

Arsenic sorption onto iron oxide spinels such as magnetite may contribute to arsenic immobilization at redox fronts in soils, sediments, and aquifers, as well as in putative remediation and water treatment technologies. We have investigated As(V) speciation resulting from different sorption processes on magnetite nanoparticles, including both adsorption and precipitation, using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XAFS results suggest that AsO(4) tetrahedra form predominantly inner-sphere bidentate corner-sharing ((2)C) complexes and outer-sphere complexes on magnetite in the adsorption experiments.