Mechanisms of classical crystal growth theory explain quartz and silicate dissolution behavior.

ABSTRACT: The central control of mineral weathering rates on biogeochemical systems has motivated studies of dissolution for more than 50 years. A complete physical picture that explains widely observed variations in dissolution behavior is lacking, and some data show apparent serious inconsistencies that cannot be explained by the largely empirical kinetic "laws." Here, we show that mineral dissolution can, in fact, be understood through the same mechanistic theory of nucleation developed for mineral growth. In principle, this theory should describe dissolution but has never been tested. By generalizing nucleation rate equations to include dissolution, we arrive at a model that predicts how quartz dissolution processes change with undersaturation from step retreat, to defect-driven and homogeneous

SUBMITTER: Dove PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1266142 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature