Auger spectroscopy determination of the surface-most adsorbed layer composition on aragonite, calcite, dolomite, and magnesite in synthetic seawater.

Abstract

The magnesium to calcium concentration ratio of the surface-most adsorbed layer (approximately 10 Angstrom) on aragonite, calcite, dolomite, and magnesite after their exposure to standard composition seawater at two different saturation states was determined by Auger spectroscopy. The results indicate that magnesium ions are adsorbed nearly 30 times less than calcium ions on the surface of aragonite, whereas both ions are adsorbed to a similar extent on the surface of calcite. A model based on specific site adsorption is used to illustrate the self-consistency of the data.-Authors