Tyler Parke

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Sendova, Mariana

Area of Concentration

Chemistry

Abstract

Goethite (α-FeOOH) is a yellow iron oxide which is widely abundant in nature, art, and industry. Extensive research has been conducted over the past century regarding goethite. While there have been several Raman and infrared spectroscopic studies of the compound, no Raman spectrum has been recorded for its deuterated analogue, α-FeOOD. In the future, Raman spectroscopy of α-FeOOD may be used to conduct kinetic isotope effect experiments, which may prove useful in understanding the mechanism of dehydroxylation from goethite to hematite. Here, deuterated and non-deuterated goethite were synthesized and their vibrational spectra were analyzed. Synthetic parameters including temperature, aging time, pH, and molar ratio of reactants were varied to investigate the relationship between parameter and spectral properties of the products. Synthesis was successful in nearly all cases, but pure α-FeOOD could not be obtained. An isotope effect appeared to make hematite formation more favorable in the deuterated trials than in non-deuterated trials. The most influential parameter was pH. The most successful trials had a pH near 13.5. Hematite impurities were minimized with synthetic temperatures near 70 oC. Longer aging time appeared to increase yield. Fe(NO3)3Fe(NO3)3 molar ratio only had a minor effect on yield, but did not affect purity.

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