{"id":544,"date":"2015-02-06T23:57:39","date_gmt":"2015-02-07T07:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/?p=544"},"modified":"2015-04-29T15:43:34","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T22:43:34","slug":"chemists-capture-elusive-iron-compound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2015\/02\/chemists-capture-elusive-iron-compound\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemists capture elusive iron compound"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chemistry researchers have successfully isolated a much-sought after iron compound\u2014a 13-Fe atom cluster that is a prototype of ferrihydrite\u2014the most abundant form of iron in natural systems, including our water, soil and the human body. Although scientists have long known the iron oxide cluster might exist, they could not study it because they couldn\u2019t isolate it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Due to its high negative charge and reactivity in water, this \u2018crypto-cluster\u2019 has proven extremely elusive in an isolated form. That is, until now.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Oregon State Associate Professor of Chemistry\u00a0May Nyman and her team<\/a>\u00a0were able to capture the iron cluster\u2014known as the Keggin ion, Fe13\u2014in a discrete, stable form.<\/p>\n

These findings were published in\u00a0Science<\/em>\u00a0magazine<\/a>\u00a0today and supported by funding from the US Department of Energy\u2019s Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering. Lead author Omid Sadeghi, a second-year doctoral student from Iran, conducted much of the experimental in collaboration with Lev N. Zakharov, director of the University of Oregon\u2019s X-ray infraction lab, and Nyman.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works: Nyman\u2019s team used \u201cprotecting chemistry,\u201d or strategically placed counterions to balance the high negative charge and temporarily mask the characteristic highly reactive chemistry. These atoms form a protective shell and stabilize the iron cluster. Without this protective shell, ferrihydrite forms immediately, preventing scientists from fully understanding how it actually forms. With additional controlled chemistry, Nyman\u2019s team successfully removed the protective atoms, partially or fully, to track the conversion of the iron cluster to ferrihydrite.<\/p>\n

The significance and impact of this breakthrough is profound: By isolating the iron oxide building blocks, scientists can gain an in-depth understanding of how ferrihydrite and magnetite form in nature and, notably, ferrihydrite\u2019s role in iron regulation within the body.<\/p>\n

Ferrihydrite serves vital roles in the interrelated events of contaminant transport, pH control of surface and ground water and microbial activity. As a result, this discovery may have major implications in our health, food supply and agriculture as well as bioremediation.<\/p>\n