Vibrational spectroscopy of the multi-anion mineral zykaite Fe4(AsO4)(SO4)(OH)·15H2O-implications for arsenate removal

Some minerals are colloidal and are poorly diffracting. Vibrational spectroscopy offers one of the few methods for the assessment of the structure of these types of minerals. Among this group of minerals is zykaite with formula Fe4(AsO4)(SO4)(OH)·15H2O. The objective of this research is to determine the molecular structure of the mineral zykaite using vibrational spectroscopy. Raman and infrared bands are attributed to the AsO43−, SO42− and water stretching vibrations. The sharp band at 3515 cm−1 is assigned to the stretching vibration of the OH units. This mineral offers a mechanism for the formation of more crystalline minerals such as scorodite and bukovskyite. Arsenate ions can be removed from aqueous systems through the addition of ferric compounds such as ferric chloride. This results in the formation of minerals such as zykaite and pitticite (Fe3+, AsO4, SO4, H2O).

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► The removal of arsenic compounds from water is of extreme importance.
► One method is to add ferric compounds to the arsenic contaminated water.
► This results in the formation of minerals such as zykaite, pitticite, scorodite.
► In this work we have studied the vibrational spectra of the mineral zykaite.