Spectral and other physicochemical properties of submicron powders of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3), maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3), magnetite (Fe3O4), goethite (alpha-FeOOH), and lepidocrocite (gamma-FeOOH)

A novel magnet focusing plate for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization analysis of magnetic bead-bound analytes

RATIONALE

Magnetic beads are often used for serum profiling of peptide and protein biomarkers. In these assays, the bead-bound analytes are eluted from the beads prior to mass spectrometric analysis. This study describes a novel matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) technique for direct application and focusing of magnetic beads to MALDI plates by means of dedicated micro-magnets as sample spots.

METHODS

Custom-made MALDI plates with magnetic focusing spots were made using small nickel-coated neodymium micro-magnets integrated into a stainless steel plate in a 16 × 24 (384) pattern. For demonstrating the proof-of-concept, commercial C-18 magnetic beads were used for the extraction of a test compound (reserpine) from aqueous solution. Experiments were conducted to study focusing abilities, the required laser energies, the influence of a matrix compound, dispensing techniques, solvent choice and the amount of magnetic beads.

RESULTS

Dispensing the magnetic beads onto the micro-magnet sample spots resulted in immediate and strong binding to the magnetic surface. Light microscope images illustrated the homogeneous distribution of beads across the surfaces of the magnets, when the entire sample volume containing the beads was pipetted onto the surface. Subsequent MALDI analysis of the bead-bound analyte demonstrated excellent and reproducible ionization yields. The surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) properties of the strongly light-absorbing γ-Fe2O3-based beads resulted in similar ionization efficiencies to those obtained from experiments with an additional MALDI matrix compound.

CONCLUSIONS

This feasibility study successfully demonstrated the magnetic focusing abilities for magnetic bead-bound analytes on a novel MALDI plate containing small micro-magnets as sample spots. One of the key advantages of this integrated approach is that no elution steps from magnetic beads were required during analyses compared with conventional bead experiments.

Visible-near infrared point spectrometry of drill core samples from Río Tinto, Spain: results from the 2005 Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) drilling exercise

Sampling of subsurface rock may be required to detect evidence of past biological activity on Mars. The Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) utilized the Río Tinto region, Spain, as a Mars analog site to test dry drilling technologies specific to Mars that retrieve subsurface rock for biological analysis. This work examines the usefulness of visible-near infrared (VNIR) (450-1000 nm) point spectrometry to characterize ferric iron minerals in core material retrieved during a simulated Mars drilling mission. VNIR spectrometry can indicate the presence of aqueously precipitated ferric iron minerals and, thus, determine whether biological analysis of retrieved rock is warranted. Core spectra obtained during the mission with T1 (893-897 nm) and T2 (644-652 nm) features indicate goethite-dominated samples, while relatively lower wavelength T1 (832-880 nm) features indicate hematite. Hematite/goethite molar ratios varied from 0 to 1.4, and within the 880-898 nm range, T1 features were used to estimate hematite/goethite molar ratios. Post-mission X-ray analysis detected phyllosilicates, which indicates that examining beyond the VNIR (e.g., shortwave infrared, 1000-2500 nm) will enhance the detection of other minerals formed by aqueous processes. Despite the limited spectral range of VNIR point spectrometry utilized in the MARTE Mars drilling simulation project, ferric iron minerals could be identified in retrieved core material, and their distribution served to direct core subsampling for biological analysis.

Coupled Ferric Oxides and Sulfates on the Martian Surface

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Opportunity, showed that layered sulfate deposits in Meridiani Planum formed during a period of rising acidic ground water. Crystalline hematite spherules formed in the deposits as a consequence of aqueous alteration and were concentrated on the surface as a lag deposit as wind eroded the softer sulfate rocks. On the basis of Mars Express Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité (OMEGA) orbital data, we demonstrate that crystalline hematite deposits are associated with layered sulfates in other areas on Mars, implying that Meridiani-like ground water systems were indeed widespread and representative of an extensive acid sulfate aqueous system.

In situ high-temperature visible microspectroscopy for volcanic materials

In situ high-temperature visible microspectroscopy has been developed in order to study color change kinetics of volcanic materials. Olivine thin sections put on a synthetic alumina plate are heated on a heating stage at 600-800 degrees C under a visible microspectroscope. Changes in visible absorption spectra are monitored every 60 s for 5 hours. The obtained high-temperature visible spectra showed a gradual increase with time in absorbance in the shorter wavelength region (400-600 nm). The 430 nm absorbance (ligand field transition of Fe3+ increased more with time at higher temperatures. Assuming diffusional transport in plane sheets, apparent diffusion coefficients were determined at temperatures of 600-800 degrees C. The activation energy for this diffusion in olivine is 208 +/- 17 kJ/mol. This activation energy value is similar to those for the metal vacancy diffusion in olivine. This newly developed in situ high-temperature visible microspectroscopy can provide kinetic measurements of visible spectral change of materials at high temperatures such as volcanic materials.

Spectral Reflectance and Morphologic Correlations in Eastern Terra Meridiani, Mars

The Mars Express Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activité (OMEGA) hyperspectral image data covering eastern Terra Meridiani indicate the ubiquitous presence of molecular water in etched terrain materials that disconformably overlie heavily cratered terrains and underlie the hematite-bearing plains explored by the Opportunity rover. Identification of crystalline water in kieserite (MgSO4.H2O) is linked to materials exposed in a valley and plateau to the north of hematite-bearing plains. The mineralogical similarities between the etched terrain deposits examined with OMEGA data and the layered rocks examined by Opportunity imply that the ancient aqueous environments inferred from analyses of the rover data extend over regional scales.

Spectroscopic and geochemical analyses of ferrihydrite from springs in Iceland and applications to Mars

Ferrihydrite samples were collected from a thermal spring and a cold stream in the Landmannalaugar region of Iceland. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses have been performed on the air-dried and fine-grained fractions of these samples. The ferrihydrite from the cold stream is a pure sample, containing small amounts of Ca, P and Si. The ferrihydrite from the thermal spring is a less pure sample, containing larger amounts of amorphous Si and P with some of the Si incorporated in the ferrihydrite structure. The spectral character of these Icelandic ferrihydrites is compared with those of synthetic ferrihydrites and other iron oxide/oxyhydroxide minerals. Ferrihydrite is characterized by a broad Fe3+ excitation band near 10 900 cm−1 (c. 0.92 μm), a strong Fe-O vibrational feature near 475 cm−1 (c. 21 μm), and multiple bands due to H2O and OH. Highly pure ferrihydrite has a pair of spectral bands near 1400 and 1500 cm−1 (c. 7 μm). Natural ferrihydrites frequently exhibit an extra band near 950–1050 cm−1 (c. 10 μm) that is attributed to Si-O bonds. Hydrothermal springs may have been present at one time on Mars in association with volcanic activity. Ferrihydrite formation in such an environment may have contributed to the ferric oxide-rich surface material on Mars.

The behavior of hydroxyl units of synthetic goethite and its dehydroxylated product hematite

The behavior of the hydroxyl units of synthetic goethite and its dehydroxylated product hematite was characterized using a combination of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) during the thermal transformation over a temperature range of 180-270 degrees C. Hematite was detected at temperatures above 200 degrees C by XRD while goethite was not observed above 230 degrees C. Five intense OH vibrations at 3212-3194, 1687-1674, 1643-1640, 888-884 and 800-798 cm(-1), and a H2O vibration at 3450-3445 cm(-1) were observed for goethite. The intensity of hydroxyl stretching and bending vibrations decreased with the extent of dehydroxylation of goethite. Infrared absorption bands clearly show the phase transformation between goethite and hematite: in particular. the migration of excess hydroxyl units from goethite to hematite. Two bands at 536-533 and 454-452 cm(-1) are the low wavenumber vibrations of Fe-O in the hematite structure. Band component analysis data of FTIR spectra support the fact that the hydroxyl units mainly affect the a plane in goethite and the equivalent c plane in hematite.

Physical and Chemical Properties of Magnetite and Magnetite-Polymer Nanoparticles and Their Colloidal Dispersions

The properties of polymer-coated magnetite nanoparticles, which have the potential to be used as effective magnetic resonance contrast agents, have been studied. The magnetite particles were synthesized by using continuous synthesis in an aqueous solution. The polymer-coated magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized by seed precipitation polymerization of methacrylic acid and hydroxyethyl methacrylate in the presence of the magnetite nanoparticles. The particle size was measured by laser light scattering. It was shown that the particle size, variance, magnetic properties, and stability of aqueous magnetite colloidal dispersion strictly depend on the nature of the stabilizing agent. The average hydrodynamic radius of the magnetite particles was found to be 5.7 nm in the stable aqueous colloidal dispersion. An inclusion of the magnetite particle into a hydrophilic polymeric shell increases the stability of the dispersion and decreases the influence of the stabilizing agent on the magnetic and structural properties of the magnetite particles as was shown by X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer and IR spectroscopy, as well as by vibrating sample magnetometry. The variation in the polymeric shell size and the polymer net density can be useful tools for evaluation of the polymer-coated magnetite particles as effective contrast agents. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Results from the Mars Pathfinder camera

Images of the martian surface returned by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) show a complex surface of ridges and troughs covered by rocks that have been transported and modified by fluvial, aeolian, and impact processes. Analysis of the spectral signatures in the scene (at 440- to 1000-nanometer wavelength) reveal three types of rock and four classes of soil. Upward-looking IMP images of the predawn sky show thin, bluish clouds that probably represent water ice forming on local atmospheric haze (opacity approximately 0.5). Haze particles are about 1 micrometer in radius and the water vapor column abundance is about 10 precipitable micrometers.

Physical and chemical properties of superparamagnetic iron oxide MR contrast agents: ferumoxides, ferumoxtran, ferumoxsil

The bulk physiochemical properties of the active ingredients in three AMI colloidal, superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO), MR contrast agents are described. Ferrous content and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) of the colloids are consistent with nonstoichiometric magnetite phases in all three active ingredients. No separate maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) phases were detected by XRD. XRD line-broadening determinations of representative samples of ferumoxides (dextran coated), Ferumoxtran (dextran covered), and ferumoxsil (siloxane coated) yielded mean crystal diameters (volume weighted distribution) of 4.8-5.6, 5.8-6.2, and 7.9-8.8 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the crystal sizes were lognormally distributed with respective mean crystal diameters (number weighted distribution) of 4.3-4.8, 4.3-4.9, and 8.0-9.5 nm, respectively. Consistent with their small crystal sizes, the three SPIO colloids are superparamagnetic with no remanence after saturation at high applied fields (< 1 T), and showed characteristic relaxed Mössbauer spectra. The Mössbauer spectra of ferumoxides and Ferumoxtran were consistent with the presence of superparamagnetic relaxation above a blocking temperature of approximately 60 K. Due to the larger crystal sizes of ferumoxsil, its Mössbauer spectra showed the presence of rapid collective magnetic excitations on the Mössbauer time scale (approximately 1-10 ns). All three colloids showed high MR relaxivities. TEM of the SPIO colloids showed that ferumoxides and ferumoxsil are composed of aggregates of nonstoichiometric magnetite crystals, while Ferumoxtran consists of single crystals of nonstoichiometric magnetite. Dynamic light scattering (PCS) measurements showed that Ferumoxtran particles have average hydrodynamic diameters of approximately 21 nm (number weighted distribution) or 30 nm (volume weighted distribution). The data indicate that Ferumoxtran crystals are coated with an 8-12 nm layer of dextran T-10. Ferumoxides aggregates have average particle sizes of approximately 35 nm (number average distribution; TEM and PCS), or approximately 50 nm (volume weighted distribution; PCS). Mean sizes of ferumoxsil aggregates are approximately 300 nm (intensity weighted distribution). A discussion of the various particle size distributions is presented.