Chemical and Microbial Interactions at Environmental Interfaces

授予斯坦福大学的环境分子科学合作研究活动奖(CRAEMS)由化学部特别项目办公室提供支持。该奖项支持的戈登·布朗、斯科特·芬多夫和阿尔弗雷德·斯波尔曼将研究固体、水溶液、天然有机和植物物质、微生物和大气气体之间在环境界面上的化学和微生物相互作用。还通过分奖向普林斯顿大学的萨蒂什·米内尼提供了支持。将用分子水平探针研究日益复杂的模型系统，以探索(1)与环境相关的水合固体的几何和电子表面结构；(2)固-水界面和吸附在固体表面上的非极性有机分子附近的水的结构；(3)金属离子阳离子和氧阴离子与这些表面以及与有机配体和微生物的相互作用方式；(4)这些离子的水和表面络合物的结构和键合；(5)对氧化还原敏感的金属如砷、硒和铀的非生物和生物反应途径的比率；(6)多环芳烃与环境固体在分子水平上的疏水相互作用；(7)固体表面微生物生物膜涂层对重金属和有机污染物吸附转化反应的影响；(8)微生物与矿物表面以及有机和无机污染物在基因组水平上的相互作用。模型研究将与自然污染系统的实验室研究相结合。将利用先进的光谱方法，特别是基于可调谐同步辐射、计算化学和分子基因组技术的方法。这一基础交叉学科研究将促进我们对环境界面吸附/沉淀/转化在隔离重金属和有机污染物中的作用的理解，并将导致新的修复方法的发展。与斯坦福同步辐射实验室的合作还将向环境科学家和学生介绍环境化学中基于同步辐射的研究。

This Collaborative Research Activities in Environmental Molecular Science (CRAEMS) Award to Stanford University is supported by the Special Projects Office in the Chemistry Division. Gordon Brown, Scott Fendorf, and Alfred Spormann supported by this award will study the chemical and microbial interactions at environmental interfaces among solids, aqueous solutions, natural organic and plant matter, microorganisms and atmospheric gases. Support is also provided to Satish Myneni at Princeton University through a subaward. Model systems of increasing complexity will be studied with molecular-level probes to explore (1) geometric and electronic surface structures of environmentally relevant hydrated solids; (2) the structure of water at solid-aqueous interfaces and in the vicinity of nonpolar organic molecules absorbed on solid surfaces; (3) the mode of interaction of metal ion cations and oxoanions with these surfaces and with organic ligands and microbial organisms; (4) the structure and bonding of aqueous and surface complexes of these ions; (5) the rates of abiotic and biotic reaction pathways of redox-sensitive metalloids such as arsenic, selenium and uranium; (6) the hydrophobic interactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with environmental solids at the molecular level; (7) the effects of microbial biofilm coatings on solids on the adsorption and transformation reactions of heavy metal and organic pollutants; and, (8) genomic-level interactions of microorganisms with mineral surfaces and organic and inorganic pollutants. Model studies will be coupled with laboratory studies of natural contaminated systems. Advanced spectroscopic methods, particularly those based on tunable synchrotron radiation, computational chemistry and molecular genomic technologies will be utilized.This fundamental interdisciplinary research will advance our understanding of the role of sorption/precipitation/transformation at environmental interfaces in sequestering heavy metal and organic pollutants and will lead to the development of new remediation methodology. The affiliation with the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory will also introduce environmental scientists and students to synchrotron-based studies in environmental chemistry.