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Siderophore‐Assisted Dissolution of Iron(III) Hydroxide Oxides from Iron‐Rich Fossil Matrices
Author(s) -
Costa Justin,
Cohen David R.,
Magalhães M. Clara F.,
Hibbert D. Brynn,
Archer Michael,
Myers Troy J.,
Hand Suzanne J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chempluschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.801
H-Index - 61
ISSN - 2192-6506
DOI - 10.1002/cplu.202000407
Subject(s) - chemistry , goethite , hematite , dissolution , hydroxide , inorganic chemistry , solubility , siderophore , aqueous solution , nuclear chemistry , mineralogy , organic chemistry , biochemistry , adsorption , gene
Current paleontological techniques to separate vertebrate fossils from encasing iron‐rich cements by chemical means are limited by the low solubility of common iron(III) hydroxide oxides such as hematite and goethite. This study examines novel geochemical extractions capable of selectively dissolving iron(III) hydroxide oxides, in aqueous solutions of pH 9–11, without damaging fossilised bones or teeth (hydroxidecarbonate‐apatite). This involves the siderophore ligands pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH), salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH), and acetohydroxamic acid (aHA), whose coordination complexes with iron(III) show exceptionally high formation stability constants. The methods have been tested on natural hematite and fossil containing samples from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Australia. Both 0.01 mol dm −3 aHA and 0.001 mol dm −3 PIH at pH 9.7 were able to dissolve over 0.1 mmol dm −3 of the goethite coating bone fragments.