Facet-Mediated Adsorption and Molecular Fractionation of Humic Substances on Hematite Surfaces

Interactions between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and iron oxyhydroxides have important environmental and geochemical implications. The present study employed two hematite nanocrystals to investigate the adsorption and molecular fractionation of two typical humic substances (HSs) using electrospray ionization coupled with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR-MS). Hematite with a predominant exposure of {100} facets induced more pronounced adsorption and molecular fractionation of HSs than {001} facets, indicating that the interfacial adsorptive fractionation process of HSs was mediated by exposed facets of hematite. Further exploration of the surface OH groups of the two hematite nanocrystals confirms that the facet-mediated molecular fractionation of HSs was attributable to the abundance of singly iron-atom coordinated −OH sites on the hematite surfaces. Molecules with a high oxidation state and high aromaticity such as oxidized black carbon, polyphenol-like, and tannic-like compounds preferentially formed ligand-exchange complexes with singly coordinated −OH groups on the hematite surfaces, inducing the selective binding and molecular fractionation of HSs at the mineral–water interface. These results demonstrate that singly iron-atom coordinated −OH sites determine DOM adsorption and mediate molecular fractionation on hematite surfaces, and this contributes substantially to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of iron oxyhydroxide-mediated molecular exchange of DOM in soils and/or sediments.