{"id":88164,"date":"2008-04-03T07:41:00","date_gmt":"2008-04-03T07:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weblogs.madrimasd.org\/\/universo\/archive\/2008\/04\/03\/88164.aspx"},"modified":"2010-01-22T03:47:08","modified_gmt":"2010-01-22T02:47:08","slug":"nanomundos-nanominerales-ciencias-de-la-tierra-biosfera-suelos-y-nanoedafologia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/2008\/04\/03\/88164","title":{"rendered":"Nanomundos, Nanominerales, Ciencias de la Tierra, Biosfera, Suelos y Nanoedafolog\u00eda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">En una \u00e9poca marcada por las promesas de la nanotecnolog\u00eda no debe extra\u00f1arnos que los cient\u00edficos comiencen a preocuparse por el nanouniverso<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"> que nos rodea. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">M\u00e1s de 30.000 p\u00e1ginas Web<\/SPAN><\/B> se han hecho eco del <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">art\u00edculo publicado en la revista Nature<\/SPAN><\/B> y que lleva por t\u00edtulo: \u00ab<A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/cgi\/content\/abstract\/319\/5870\/1631\"><FONT color=#800080>Nanominerals, Mineral Nanoparticles, and Earth Systems<\/FONT><\/A>\u201d, en el que por cierto <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">figura al menos un edaf\u00f3logo<\/SPAN><\/B>. Y sinceramente, no creo que sea una coincidencia de que este \u201c<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Doland L. Sparks<\/SPAN><\/B>\u201d sea el m\u00e1ximo responsable de la Iniciativa denominada <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Zona Cr\u00edtica Terrestre<\/SPAN><\/B>, sobre la que ya hemos escrito y volveremos a hacerlo. As\u00ed, el encabezamiento que ofrece el bolet\u00edn de noticias \u201c<A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2008\/03\/080320150039.htm\"><FONT color=#800080>Sciencedaily<\/FONT><\/A>\u201d (<A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2008\/03\/080320150039.htm\"><FONT color=#800080>&#8216;Nanominerals&#8217; Influence Earth Systems From Ocean To Atmosphere To Biosphere<\/FONT><\/A>), nos informa de que: \u201c<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">la ubicuidad y abundancia<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp; <\/SPAN>de las part\u00edculas minerales de escala nanom\u00e9trica, en oc\u00e9anos, r\u00edos,<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp; <\/SPAN>suelos y c\u00e9lulas vivas, suministran a los investigadores una nueva v\u00eda para<\/SPAN><\/B> la comprensi\u00f3n de la estructura y funcionamiento del planeta tierra. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Los procesos f\u00edsicos, qu\u00edmicos y biol\u00f3gicos de la Tierra est\u00e1n condicionados o conducidos por las propiedades que atesoran estos \u201dnanominerales\u201d<\/SPAN><\/B>. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">\u00bfCiencia de la buena, novedad, moda, viejo vino en nievas botellas?<\/SPAN><\/B>. Probablemente sea aun prematuro extraer conclusiones al respecto. En cualquier caso, y <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">como afecta al mundo la edafolog\u00eda, veamos que nos dicen<\/SPAN><\/B>. <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/SPAN><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p><IMG style=\"WIDTH: 440px; HEIGHT: 236px\" height=500 src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/808\/o_nanomin1.gif\" width=621><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN>&nbsp;<\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.nanomineral.info\/\"><FONT color=#800080>Nanomineralog\u00eda<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><!--more--><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">Todo indica que el punto caliente del art\u00edculo reside en enfatizar que <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">las propiedades de los minerales a escalas nenom\u00e9tricas dependen tanto o m\u00e1s de sus tama\u00f1os, morfolog\u00edas y topograf\u00edas (\u201cnanorelieve\u201d) que de su composici\u00f3n qu\u00edmica<\/SPAN><\/B>, algo que puede resultar sorprendente a muchos, aunque no a m\u00ed personalmente<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\"> si os acord\u00e1is de los post que escrib\u00ed sobre el<\/SPAN><\/B><A href=\"http:\/\/weblogs.madrimasd.org\/universo\/archive\/2006\/02\/09\/13205.aspx\"><FONT color=#800080> dilema de la medida<\/FONT><\/A>, en general, y<A href=\"http:\/\/weblogs.madrimasd.org\/universo\/archive\/2006\/02\/12\/13460.aspx\"><FONT color=#800080> de los suelos<\/FONT><\/A>, en <A href=\"http:\/\/weblogs.madrimasd.org\/universo\/archive\/2006\/02\/13\/13527.aspx\"><FONT color=#800080>particular<\/FONT><\/A>. Dicho de otro modo, <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">los autores se\u00f1alan que tama\u00f1o u forma incrementa en importancia al descender al mundo nanom\u00e9trico, respecto al micro y mesosc\u00f3pico<\/SPAN><\/B>.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp; <\/SPAN>Las repercusiones de tales estudios dicen que <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">afectar\u00e1 a los estudios biogeosf\u00e9ricos, cambio clim\u00e1tico, geomedicina, salud p\u00fablica, nanotecnolog\u00eda, contaminaci\u00f3n<\/SPAN><\/B>, etc., etc. <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp;<\/SPAN><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<IMG style=\"WIDTH: 435px; HEIGHT: 336px\" height=322 src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/808\/o_Efecto%20antomicrob%20nanomateriales.jpg\" width=394><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.public.asu.edu\/~shaydel\/images\/Staphylococcus%20aureus.jpg\"><FONT color=#800080>Efectos antibacterianos de algunos nanominerales<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center\" align=center><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">Resumiendo, como en otras facetas de la vida, el tama\u00f1o en este caso tambi\u00e9n parece ser muy importante \u00bf?<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #cc0000; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">Juan Jos\u00e9 Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<IMG style=\"WIDTH: 430px; HEIGHT: 346px\" height=329 src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/808\/o_Bacterias%20que%20respitian%20nanopart.jpg\" width=391><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN>&nbsp;<\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><EM><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2008\/03\/080320150039.htm\"><FONT color=#800080><SPAN style=\"FONT-STYLE: normal\">A bacteria cell living in a no-oxygen environment <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-STYLE: normal\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/A><\/SPAN><\/EM><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN class=MsoHyperlink><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2008\/03\/080320150039.htm\"><FONT color=#800080>\u00abbreathes\u00bb using mineral nanoparticles.<o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/A><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN class=MsoHyperlink><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2008\/03\/080320150039.htm\"><FONT color=#800080>(Credit: Saumyaditya Bose, Virginia Tech)<\/FONT><\/A><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN class=MsoHyperlink><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN>&nbsp;<\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p><IMG src=\"\/blogs\/universo\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/42\/files\/808\/o_Nanobioearth.jpg\"><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.geochem.geos.vt.edu\/hochella\/photos\/nbe%20logo.jpg\"><FONT color=#800080>Logo de Un Grupo de Trabajo Sobre Nanomineralog\u00eda <\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/cgi\/content\/abstract\/319\/5870\/1631\"><FONT color=#800080>Resumen del art\u00edculo publicado en Science<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Nanominerals, Mineral Nanoparticles, and Earth Systems<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Michael F. Hochella, Jr.,1* Steven K. Lower,2 Patricia A. Maurice,3 R. Lee Penn,4 Nita Sahai,5 Donald L. Sparks,6 Benjamin S. Twining7 <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Minerals are more complex than previously thought because of the discovery that their chemical properties vary as a function of particle size when smaller<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, in at least one dimension, than <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">a few nanometers<\/SPAN><\/B>, to perhaps as much as several tens of nanometers. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">These variations are most likely due, at least in part, to differences in surface and near-surface atomic structure, as well as crystal shape and surface topography as a function of size in this smallest of size regimes<\/SPAN><\/B>. It has now been established that <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">these variations may make a difference in important geochemical and biogeochemical reactions and kinetics<\/SPAN><\/B>. This recognition is broadening and enriching our view of <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">how minerals influence the hydrosphere, pedosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere<\/SPAN><\/B>. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Sciencedaily<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">The way in which <\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">these infinitesimally small minerals influence Earth&#8217;s systems is more complex than previously thought<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, the scientists say. \u00abThis is an excellent summary of the relevance of natural nanoparticles in the Earth system,\u00bb said <\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Enriqueta Barrera<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, program director in <\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">NSF&#8217;s Division of Earth Sciences<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">. \u00abIt shows that there i<\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">s much to be learned about the role of nanominerals<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, and points to the need for future research.\u00bb<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Minerals have an enormous range of physical and chemical properties due to a wide range of composition and structure, including particle size<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">. Each mineral has a set of specific physical and chemical properties. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanominerals, however, have one critical difference: a range of physical and chemical properties, depending on their size and shape<\/SPAN><\/B>. \u00abThis difference changes our view of the diversity and complexity of minerals, and how they influence Earth systems,\u00bb<\/SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> said Michael Hochella of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and <\/SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = \"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" \/><st1:place><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">State<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">University<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> in <\/SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Blacksburg<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp;<\/SPAN>(\u2026.). <\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Nanominerals are widely distributed throughout the atmosphere, oceans, surface and underground waters, and soils, and in most living organisms, even within proteins<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Oceans may be the principal reservoir, since they cover 70 percent of the Earth&#8217;s surface. There, nanominerals can come from processes associated with both living and non-living things<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, Hochella said. \u00ab<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Every mineral goes through a nanophase stage as it begins to grow<\/SPAN><\/B>. If they begin to grow at many sites, but don&#8217;t continue to grow much after they form, you will end up with a lot of them and they may persist.\u00bb<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Nanoparticles play an important role in the lives of ocean-dwelling phytoplankton, for example, which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">. Phytoplankton growth is limited by<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\"> iron availability<\/SPAN><\/B>. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Iron in the ocean is composed of nanocolloids, nanominerals, and mineral nanoparticles, supplied by<\/SPAN><\/B> rivers, glaciers and deposition from the atmosphere. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanoscale reactions resulting in the formation of phytoplankton biominerals, such as<\/SPAN><\/B> calcium carbonate, are important <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">influences on oceanic and global carbon cycling<\/SPAN><\/B>. In addition to growth and weathering, mineral nanoparticles can be generated from mechanical grinding. One of the most interesting and important places where this happens is along <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">earthquake-generating faults in the Earth&#8217;s crust.<\/SPAN><\/B><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">There is a distinction between clusters of atoms and nanoparticles<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, Hochella said. \u00ab<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">The difference seems to be that clusters start to approach the size of the smallest nanoparticles, but the atoms in many of these small clusters are not packed very tightly together. They are not dense<\/SPAN><\/B>. The <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">nanoparticles represent a much denser packing of atoms, more like a <\/SPAN><\/B>real mineral, or at least approaching the atomic packing density of a <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">larger mineral<\/SPAN><\/B>.\u00bb<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">On land, nanometer-scale hematite catalyzes the oxidation of manganese, resulting in the rapid formation of minerals that absorb heavy metals in water and soils. The rate of oxidation is increased when nanoparticles are present<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Conversely, harmful heavy metals may disperse widely, courtesy of nanominerals<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">. (\u2026) nanomineral involved in the movement of lead, arsenic, copper, and zinc through hundred of miles of <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Clark<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">River<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> drainage basin. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanominerals can also move radioactive substances<\/SPAN><\/B>. Research at one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the world, a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Mayak, Russian, has shown that <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">plutonium travels in local groundwater, carried by mineral nanoparticles<\/SPAN><\/B>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">In the atmosphere, mineral nanoparticles impact heating and cooling. Such particles act as water droplet growth centers, which lead to cloud formation<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">. The size and density of droplets influences solar radiation and cloud longevity, which in turn <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">influence average global temperatures<\/SPAN><\/B>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">\u00abThe biogeochemical and ecological impact of natural and synthetic nanomaterials is one of the fastest growing areas of research, with not only vital scientific, but also large environmental, economic, and political consequences,\u00bb the authors conclude. (..)<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">This work was funded by the National Science Foundation. Adapted from materials provided by <A href=\"http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/\" target=_blank><FONT color=#000099>National Science Foundation<\/FONT><\/A>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p><FONT size=2>&nbsp;<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/SPAN><FONT size=2><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"COLOR: #339966; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">National Science Fundation<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">: <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.nanotech-now.com\/news.cgi?story_id=28603\"><FONT color=#800080>\u00abNanominerals\u00bb Influence Earth Systems from Ocean to Atmosphere to Biosphere<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><st1:place><st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">Arlington<\/SPAN><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">, <\/SPAN><st1:State><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">VA<\/SPAN><\/st1:State><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> | Posted on <\/SPAN><st1:date Month=\"3\" Day=\"20\" Year=\"2008\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">March 20th, 2008<\/SPAN><\/st1:date><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"> <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\">(\u2026) <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">The way in which these infinitesimally small minerals influence Earth&#8217;s systems is more complex than previously thought, the scientists say<\/SPAN><\/B>. Their work is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). (\u2026.) <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Minerals have an enormous range of physical and chemical properties due to a wide range of composition and structure, including particle size<\/SPAN><\/B>. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Each mineral has<\/SPAN><\/B> a set of specific physical and chemical properties. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanominerals, however, have one critical difference: a range of physical and chemical properties, depending on their size and shape. \u00abThis difference changes our view of the diversity and complexity of minerals, and how they influence Earth systems<\/SPAN><\/B>,\u00bb (\u2026) The role of nanominerals is far-reaching, said Hochella. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanominerals are widely distributed throughout the atmosphere, oceans, surface and underground waters, and soils, and in most living organisms, even within proteins<\/SPAN><\/B>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><BR><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanoparticles play an important role in the lives of ocean-dwelling phytoplankton<\/SPAN><\/B>, for example, which r<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">emove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere<\/SPAN><\/B>. Phytoplankton growth is limited by iron availability. Iron in the ocean is composed of<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\"> nanocolloids, nanominerals, and mineral nanoparticles<\/SPAN><\/B>, supplied by rivers, glaciers and deposition from the atmosphere. Nanoscale reactions resulting in the formation of phytoplankton <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">biominerals, such as calcium carbonate, are important influences on oceanic and global carbon cycling<\/SPAN><\/B>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><BR><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">On land, nanometer-scale hematite catalyzes<\/SPAN><\/B> the oxidation of manganese, resulting in the rapid formation of minerals that absorb heavy metals in water and soils. The rate of oxidation is increased when nanoparticles are present.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><BR>Conversely, <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">harmful heavy metals may disperse widely, courtesy of nanominerals<\/SPAN><\/B>. In research at the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex in Montana, Hochella discovered a <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">nanomineral involved in the movement of lead, arsenic, copper, and zinc<\/SPAN><\/B> through hundred of miles of Clark River drainage basin.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><BR><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Nanominerals can also move radioactive substances<\/SPAN><\/B>. Research at one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the world, a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Mayak, Russian, has shown that plutonium travels in local groundwater, carried by mineral nanoparticles.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><BR><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">In the atmosphere, mineral nanoparticles impact heating and cooling.<\/SPAN><\/B> Such particles act as water droplet growth centers, which <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">lead to cloud formation<\/SPAN><\/B>. The size and density of droplets i<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">nfluences solar radiation and cloud longevity, which in turn influence average global temperatures<\/SPAN><\/B>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-US style=\"FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US\"><BR>\u00abThe biogeochemical and ecological impact of n<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">atural and synthetic nanomaterials is one of the fastest growing areas of research<\/SPAN><\/B>, with not only vital scientific, but also <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">large environmental, economic, and political consequences<\/SPAN><\/B>,\u00bb the authors conclude (..). In addition to Hochella, authors of the paper are Steven Lower of Ohio State University, and Patricia Maurice of the University of Notre Dame; along with R. Lee Penn of the University of Minnesota; Nita Sahai of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Donald Sparks of the University of Delaware; and Benjamin Twining of the University of South Carolina.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">En los siguientes art\u00edculos tambi\u00e9n se habla en el texto sobre nanominerales<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">. Os muestro res\u00famenes y enlaces para los que puedan estar interesados en el tema. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.springerlink.com\/content\/y2v3425332t95652\"><FONT color=#800080>Sobre nanominerales y \u00f3xidos de Hierro<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\">Mineralogy and Petrology Journal<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial\">Natural Fe-oxide and -oxyhydroxide nanoparticles: an EPR and SQUID investigation<\/SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">C.&nbsp;Carbone1, F.&nbsp;Di Benedetto2, P.&nbsp;Marescotti1, C.&nbsp;Sangregorio3, L.&nbsp;Sorace3, N.&nbsp;Lima3, M.&nbsp;Romanelli3, G.&nbsp;Lucchetti1 and C.&nbsp;Cipriani2<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><A name=A1><\/A><A name=Abs1><\/A><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Summary&nbsp;&nbsp;Magnetic hematite (<\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">a<\/SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">-Fe2O3) and goethite (<\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">a<\/SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">-FeOOH) nanoparticles, formed in the abandoned Libiola Mine (Liguria, Italy) as a result of <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Acid Mine Drainage<\/SPAN><\/B> (AMD) processes that involved sulfide-bearing rocks and sulfide-rich waste material, were investigated through the study of their magnetic properties in combination with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">Both techniques revealed that the behaviour of the <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">nanominerals<\/SPAN><\/B> involved was predominantly superparamagnetic. In contrast, the bulk antiferromagnetic behaviour of both hematite and goethite was substantially reduced. The observed magnetic properties <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">reflected a great variability in the particle dimensions and confirmed that both nanominerals were <\/SPAN><\/B>the transformation products of a metastable amorphous species. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Moreover, two peculiar phenomena were hypothesised: the transformation to hematite may occur before the coarsening of the amorphous transient and hematite and goethite can interconvert without intermediate crystallisation of metastable precursors. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">Goethite, in fact, appears to be formed as an alteration product of hematite, after a drastic change of the physico-chemical boundary conditions. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science?_ob=ArticleURL&amp;_udi=B6V8Y-4MY0TK4-1&amp;_user=10&amp;_rdoc=1&amp;_fmt=&amp;_orig=search&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=93cec72bb81e7548e2f8842fc2f16300\"><FONT color=#800080>Sobre Nanoarcillas y Geomedicina<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Minerals and clay minerals in medical geology en Applied Clay Science<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=PT-BR style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\">Celso de Sousa Figueiredo Gomes<\/SPAN><A name=bcor1><\/A><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science?_ob=ArticleURL&amp;_udi=B6V8Y-4MY0TK4-1&amp;_user=10&amp;_rdoc=1&amp;_fmt=&amp;_orig=search&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=93cec72bb81e7548e2f8842fc2f16300#cor1#cor1\"><SPAN style=\"mso-ignore: vglayout\"><IMG height=14 alt=\"Corresponding Author Contact Information\" src=\"file:\/\/\/C:\/DOCUME~1\/Juanjo\/CONFIG~1\/Temp\/msohtml1\/01\/clip_image001.gif\" width=15 border=0 v:shapes=\"_x0000_i1025\"><\/SPAN><\/A><\/SPAN><SPAN lang=PT-BR style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\">, <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science?_ob=ArticleURL&amp;_udi=B6V8Y-4MY0TK4-1&amp;_user=10&amp;_rdoc=1&amp;_fmt=&amp;_orig=search&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=93cec72bb81e7548e2f8842fc2f16300#implicit0#implicit0\"><SPAN lang=PT-BR style=\"mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\"><FONT color=#000099>a<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/SPAN><SPAN lang=PT-BR style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\">, <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><A href=\"mailto:cgomes@ua.pt\"><SPAN style=\"mso-ignore: vglayout\"><IMG height=10 alt=\"E-mail The Corresponding Author\" src=\"file:\/\/\/C:\/DOCUME~1\/Juanjo\/CONFIG~1\/Temp\/msohtml1\/01\/clip_image002.gif\" width=13 border=0 v:shapes=\"_x0000_i1026\"><\/SPAN><\/A><\/SPAN><SPAN lang=PT-BR style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\">and Jo\u00e3o Baptista Pereira Silva<\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science?_ob=ArticleURL&amp;_udi=B6V8Y-4MY0TK4-1&amp;_user=10&amp;_rdoc=1&amp;_fmt=&amp;_orig=search&amp;_sort=d&amp;view=c&amp;_acct=C000050221&amp;_version=1&amp;_urlVersion=0&amp;_userid=10&amp;md5=93cec72bb81e7548e2f8842fc2f16300#implicit0#implicit0\"><SPAN lang=PT-BR style=\"mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\"><FONT color=#000099>a<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: PT-BR\"> <SPAN lang=PT-BR><BR><A name=implicit0><\/A>aCentro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o \u201cMinerais Industriais e Argilas\u201d da Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal <BR><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp;<\/SPAN><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Abstract<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Medical geology is an emergent field of science that for some authors deals with the relationships between the geological environment and health problems in humans, animals and plants. Chemical elements, minerals, rocks, soils, water and air are the essential components of the geologic environment<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">. Both quality and quantity of these components condition very much the living quality and the life duration, due to the beneficial and hazardous effects they have upon organisms, man, other animals, and plants. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Medical geology<\/SPAN><\/B> is a multidisciplinary scientific field shared by specialists of distinct areas and scientific domains, such as earth sciences, environmental sciences, medicine, public health, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacy, nutrition, and others. C<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">ertain diseases are attributed to several minerals sensu latu <\/SPAN><\/B>(concept that includes the minerals sensu restrictu considered as natural, <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">inorganic and crystalline solids, the so-called oligoelements or trace minerals, the biominerals and mineral resources such as <\/SPAN><\/B>natural mineral water), naturally or humanly derived. Within minerals,<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\"> clay minerals<\/SPAN><\/B>, the essential constituents of clays, <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">are omnipresent at the earth surface where organisms live, and due to their specific properties they can interact, positively as a rule, with them<\/SPAN><\/B>. S<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">ome clay minerals are being used, either as active principles<\/SPAN><\/B> (gastrointestinal protectors, laxatives, antidiarrhoeaics), <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">or as excipients <\/SPAN><\/B>(inert bases, emulsifiers, lubricants) in certain medicines. Also they participate in formulations used for topical applications in both dermopharmacy and dermocosmetics. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><BR><\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.agu.org\/cgi-bin\/SFgate\/SFgate?&amp;listenv=table&amp;multiple=1&amp;range=1&amp;directget=1&amp;application=fm05&amp;database=\/data\/epubs\/wais\/indexes\/fm05\/fm05&amp;maxhits=200&amp;=%22B23B%22\"><FONT color=#000099>Sobre la qu\u00edmica superficial de los nanominerales y contaminaci\u00f3n<\/FONT><\/A><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN class=ti><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Cu2+ as a Probe for Nanomineral Surface Chemistry<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN class=au><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Madden, A S and Hochella, M F<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><BR><\/SPAN><SPAN class=ab><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp;<\/SPAN>Recent field-based studies have shown that <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">minerals with diameters less than approximately 10-15 nanometers, including highly crystalline materials, are common and important in the transport of toxic metals released as a result of mining activities<\/SPAN><\/B>. Through the <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">scientific discipline of nanoscience, it is expected that materials will experience size-property-reactivity relationships in this size range<\/SPAN><\/B>. These relationships are almost entirely unknown in mineralogical and biogeochemical systems. As such, model systems were utilized to <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">explore nanomineral reactivity as a function of mineral size<\/SPAN><\/B>. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">Size-dependent geochemical reactivity of hematite nanoparticles has been measured<\/SPAN><\/B> in experimental systems, including heterogeneous Mn2+ oxidation and photochemical reduction. In general, those <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">particles with average diameters of 7 nm have significantly greater reactivity compared to particles with average diameters greater than approximately 10 nm<\/SPAN><\/B>, even after surface area normalization. <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">It was hypothesized that the increased reactivity of the smallest particles could be most easily interpreted as a change in the arrangement and\/or coordination of surface atoms. Sorption experiments<\/SPAN><\/B> at low Cu2+ loading demonstrated an enhanced affinity of Cu2+ to the 7 nm average diameter particles relative to larger sizes, suggesting an abundance of binding sites which stabilize the Jahn-Teller distorted Cu2+ ion that are not as significant on larger sized particles. In addition, FTIR spectra of dried <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">hematite nanominerals<\/SPAN><\/B> are consistent with an increased proportion of bidentate vs. monodentate carbonate surface complexes, representing a change in the dominant type of adsorption c<B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">omplex between the carbonate ion and the smallest and larger hematite particles<\/SPAN><\/B>. FTIR results along with zeta potential measurements lend further support to the hypothesis that the <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">greater affinity of Cu2+ for the smallest particles is due to changes in the nature and reactivity of surface functional groups unique to that size range.<\/SPAN><\/B> The results <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"COLOR: #3366ff\">imply that natural nanomaterials (&lt;10 nm) can control the distribution of toxic metals in a different manner than that expected through consideration of the reactivity of larger particles, over and above the increased surface area<\/SPAN><\/B>. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><BR><\/SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.vanhauen.dk\/extwebs\/Goldschmidt2004\/site\/book\/GCAABSTRACTS.doc\"><SPAN lang=ES style=\"mso-ansi-language: ES\"><FONT color=#800080>Sobre Minerales y nanotecnolog\u00eda y m\u00e1s<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial\"> en estas actas de congreso<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #3366ff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Nanomineralogy \u2013 low-cost nanotechnology of the future<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Nanomineralogy at the Karlsruhe Research Center represents an interdisciplinary field of fundamental research and applied sciences with groups from different disciplines cooperating with partners from industry. This allows for the basic understanding of properties and the development of new technical applications that are oriented to meeting a real demand. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Our vision is to modify and tailor naturally occurring nanominerals as a low-cost basic material for new products.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Current activities in this direction therefore focus on clay minerals and hydroxides as the most abundant minerals on the Earth\u2019s surface. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Most of these minerals are of a size that is considered to be \u00abnano\u00bb. In nature, however, these nanomine-rals are aggregated and their properties are determined by the bulk material, e.g. clay. The first challenge now is to separate and delaminate the bulk material into fundamental particles and to preserve them as nanominerals. The overall objective is to use existing feedstock as an unlimited source of low-cost nanominerals.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Nanomineral extraction and the investigation of structural properties and interactions with other systems are the current research fields of nanomineralogy at the ITC-WGT. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Mineral properties are defined on the nanoscale, most of them being very promising for technical applications in e.g. cosmetics, packaging, and construction materials.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Nowadays, understanding of nanominerals and their particular properties is rather limited. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Production of new products requires knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the interaction of nanominerals with other materials , e.g. polymers. Final characteristics and properties of such nanocomposites also depend on the nanomineral-based substrate.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Another important aspect of nanotechnology is the formation of ordered structures on the nano to submicron level. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Structuring processes, such as self-assembly and self-organization which create highly complex structures in nature, play an important role e.g. in crystallization and are subject of our research. Presently, these processes are being used in the nanostructuring of layer double hydroxides. Here, periodic structures are applied as templates for the formation of ordered structures on a higher level, e.g. proteins.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Our achievements include the chemical delamination of mica with divalent cations, the production of different kaolinite\/polymer nanocomposites, and the magnetization of any non-magnetic material, e.g. TiO2, with nano-sized green rust in the form of aggregates.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">At the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, a strong nanomine-ralogy group was established in early 2001 by a cooperation of universities, research facilities, and partners from industry.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Probing the reactivity of iron oxides at the nanoscale: magnetite with water and small organic molecules<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">David J. Vaughan1, Richard S. Cutting1,2,3, <BR>Chris A. Muryn2 and Geoffrey T. Thornton2,4<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">1 Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, and Department of Earth Sciences, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Manchester<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">University<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Manchester<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> M13 9PL, UK2 Department of Chemistry, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Manchester<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">University<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Manchester<\/SPAN><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PostalCode><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">M13 9PL<\/SPAN><\/st1:PostalCode><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">UK<\/SPAN><\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">3 Advanced Materials Research Institute, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Northumbria<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">University<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Newcastle-upon-Tyne<\/SPAN><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:PostalCode><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">NE1 8ST<\/SPAN><\/st1:PostalCode><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">UK<\/SPAN><\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">4 Department of Chemistry, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">University<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">College<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">London<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:place><st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">London<\/SPAN><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PostalCode><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">WC1E 6BT<\/SPAN><\/st1:PostalCode><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">, <\/SPAN><st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">UK<\/SPAN><\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Application of a combination of scanning probe microscopic and spectroscopic methods under highly controlled conditions is the key to understanding the reactivity of many mineral surfaces at the nanoscale, whether it be of small particles or larger crystals. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">The (111) surface of Fe3O4 (magnetite) provides an excellent example for detailed study. Our work shows that carefully prepared surfaces can exhibit four different kinds of termination, only one of which exposes both (uncapped) iron and oxygen atoms.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">In addition to imaging freshly prepared magnetite surfaces, the reactivities of such surfaces have been explored<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp; <\/SPAN>using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) following exposure to H2O, HCOOH, C5H5N and CCl4. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">These studies enable both the validation of models of surface structure and the investigation of the mechanisms of reaction. The surface that exposes (uncapped) both iron and oxygen atoms is the most reactive to all of these molecules. The other surfaces exhibit reactive behaviour the relates to the presence of point defects.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB\">Variable temperature STM studies, along with XPS and UPS investigations, of the reaction of magnetite with water vapour show limited reactivity at low exposures. <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">Under higher water vapour exposures (100L of H2O) and isothermal isobaric conditions, the magnetite surface undergoes extensive hydroxylation. Spectra obtained at different pH2O show that both pressure and exposure level influence the onset of extensive dissociation of water on interaction with Fe3O4.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp; <\/SPAN><SPAN style=\"mso-tab-count: 1\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/SPAN><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P> <P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial\"><A href=\"http:\/\/www.nanomineral.info\/\"><FONT color=#800080>Y si quer\u00e9is saber que es la nanomineralog\u00eda, pinchar aqu\u00ed<\/FONT><\/A>. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>En una \u00e9poca marcada por las promesas de la nanotecnolog\u00eda no debe extra\u00f1arnos que los cient\u00edficos comiencen a preocuparse por el nanouniverso que nos rodea. M\u00e1s de 30.000 p\u00e1ginas Web se han hecho eco del art\u00edculo publicado en la revista Nature y que lleva por t\u00edtulo: \u00abNanominerals, Mineral Nanoparticles, and Earth Systems\u201d, en el que por cierto figura al menos un edaf\u00f3logo. Y sinceramente, no creo que sea una coincidencia de que este \u201cDoland L. Sparks\u201d sea el m\u00e1ximo responsable de la Iniciativa denominada Zona Cr\u00edtica Terrestre, sobre la que ya hemos escrito y volveremos a hacerlo. As\u00ed, el encabezamiento\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[590,586,597,587,592,595,611],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":4}},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88164"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88164"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134635,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88164\/revisions\/134635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}