Abstract
In situ Atomic Force Microscopy, AFM, experiments have been carried out using calcite cleavage surfaces in contact with solutions of MgSO 4, MgCl 2, Na 2SO 4 and NaCl in order to attempt to understand the role of Mg 2+ during calcite dissolution. Although previous work has indicated that magnesium inhibits calcite dissolution, quantitative AFM analyses show that despite the fact that Mg 2+ inhibits etch pit spreading, it increases the density and depth of etch pits nucleated on calcite surfaces and, subsequently, the overall dissolution rates: i.e., from 10 −11.75 mol cm −2 s −1 (in deionized water) up to 10 −10.54 mol cm −2 s −1 (in 2.8 M MgSO 4). Such an effect is concentration-dependent and it is most evident in concentrated solutions ([Mg 2+] >> 50 mM). These results show that common soluble salts (especially Mg sulfates) may play a critical role in the chemical weathering of carbonate rocks in nature as well as in the decay of carbonate stone in buildings and statuary.
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