Acquisition of a Surface Area Analyzer for Undergraduate Research and Teaching in the Earth Sciences

这笔赠款将允许购买BET表面积分析仪，以支持查普曼大学物理科学系的地球和环境科学研究和教学，查普曼大学是一所小型，独立的文科大学，位于加州南部的一个文化多样的社区。所要求的仪器将对正在进行的环境地球化学研究项目立即产生重大效益，具体地，1）研究在初始暴露时重金属吸附和（共）沉淀到羟基氧化铁纳米颗粒上以及随后纳米颗粒的聚集/生长，以及2）确定矿山废物中的金属浓度趋势作为粒度的函数，涉及将异质矿山废物的物理粒度分离成离散的粒度级分，随后根据化学组成、矿物学和表面积表征这些级分。这两个项目都对这些污染物在环境中的流动性、生物利用度和归宿产生了重大影响。此外，这笔赠款将为环境科学和（地球）化学本科生提供独立研究的机会，提供额外的研究级仪器，以提高研究和教育能力，并启动查普曼大学和美国地质调查局之间的新合作伙伴关系。

This grant will allow the purchase of a BET surface area analyzer in support of earth and environmental sciences research and teaching in the Department of Physical Sciences at Chapman University, a small, independent, liberal arts university located in a culturally diverse community in southern California. The requested instrument will be of immediate and significant benefit to ongoing research projects in environmental geochemistry, specifically 1) a study of heavy metal sorption and (co)precipitation to iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles upon initial exposure and with subsequent aggregation/growth of the nanoparticles and 2) the identification of metal concentration trends in mine wastes as a function of particle size involving the physical size separation of heterogeneous mine wastes into discrete size fractions with subsequent characterization of these fractions according to chemical composition, mineralogy, and surface area. Both projects hold significant implications for the mobility, bioavailability, and fate of these contaminants in the environment. In addition, this grant will generate opportunities for independent research to environmental science and (geo)chemistry undergraduate students, provide additional research-grade instrumentation to enhance both research and education capabilities, and initiate a new collaborative partnership between Chapman University and the U.S. Geological Survey.