X-ray–driven reaction front dynamics at calcite-water interfaces

Abstract

Driving dissolution with x-rays Carbonate minerals are important for Earth's carbon cycle. They precipitate directly from solution into diverse materials, depending on their physical or biological source. Whether carbonate minerals grow or dissolve is controlled by the thermodynamic drivers of the mineral/water interface. To control and observe the reactions, Lanaait et al. developed a synchrotron x-ray technique that images calcium carbonate surfaces in water and selectively tunes the solution saturation state (see the Perspective by Wolthers). The x-ray beam drives fast-moving reaction fronts far from equilibrium that are more limited by solution-ion transport than by surface processes. Science , this issue p. 1330 ; see also p. 1288