Professor Grassian and her colleagues in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Iowa are investigating the surface chemistry of carbonates, oxides and clays of relevance to atmospheric and environmental chemistry. With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, they are examining the interaction of carbon dioxide with CaCO3 and CaMg(CO3)2 surfaces. Both single crystal and particulate substrates are being examined. Spectroscopy, microscopy and kinetic experiments are combined to examine the interaction of CO2 with these surfaces and with important trace molecules in the atmosphere such as N2O5, SO2, and acetic and formic acids. Important information concerning atmospheric chemistry processes and biogeochemical cycles will be obtained, as well as information regarding the environmental degradation of carbonate minerals in artworks and structural materials.
The interaction of carbon dioxide with carbonate mineral surfaces is the focus of this research project supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program. Professor Grassian and her colleagues at the University of Iowa are using spectroscopic, microscopic and kinetic probes to examine the details of this surface chemistry which has relevance to many questions of environmental importance.
