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Published on: December 19, 2017
Speciation of arsenic in sulfidic waters
Richard T Wilkin1, Dirk Wallschläger2, Robert G Ford1
1U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 919 Kerr Research Drive, Ada, OK 74820, USA.
Abstract:
Formation constants for thioarsenite species have been determined in dilute solutions at 25°C, ΣH2S from 10-7.5 to 10-3.0 M, ΣAs from 10-5.6 to 10-4.8 M, and pH 7 and 10. The principal inorganic arsenic species in anoxic aquatic systems are arsenite, As(OH)3 0, and a mononuclear thioarsenite with an S/As ratio of 3:1. Thioarsenic species with S/As ratios of 1 : 1,2 : 1, and 4 : 1 are lesser components in sulfidic solutions that might be encountered in natural aquatic environments. Thioarsenites dominate arsenic speciation at sulfide concentrations > 10-4.3 M at neutral pH. Conversion from neutral As(OH)3 0 to anionic thioarsenite species may regulate the transport and fate of arsenic in sulfate-reducing environments by governing sorption and mineral precipitation reactions.
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