Surface interaction between chrysotile and solutions (dissolution and adsorption): systematic x-ray photoelectron...

To test the reactivity of asbestos in relation to its physical and structural properties, surface analysis was made by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The dissolution kinetics of chrysotile in strong reagents demonstrate two rate-limiting steps for the reaction: Mg2+ diffusion and chemical reaction. In some components of the Krebs cycle and in dilute hydrochloric and in oxalic acids, the reaction is limited by the exchange of Mg2+ in the first mineral layer. The interaction of model phospholipid membranes with chrysotile fibres was also studied; the results are in good agreement with the hypothesis of bilayer adsorption. Photoelectron data for adsorption of ghosts indicate that both proteins and phospholipids must be adsorbed onto chrysotile fibres.