The influence of pH on the synthesis of mixed Fe-Mn oxide minerals

Abstract
Mn-substituted iron oxides were synthesized at pH 4, 6, 8, and 10 from Fe-Mn systems with Mn mole fractions (Mn/(Mn + Fe)) of 0, 0·2, 0·4, 0·6, 0·8, and 1·0, and kept at 50°C for 40 days. The Mn mole fraction in goethite was γ-MnOOH) formed at pH 4 and pH 6, whereas hausmannite (Mn3O4) formed at pH 8 and pH 10. As the Mn substitution increased, the unit-cell dimensions of goethite shifted toward those of groutite, and the mean crystallite dimensions of goethite decreased.
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