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Magnetite in soils: I. The synthesis of single-domain and superparamagnetic magnetite

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

R. M. Taylor
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Soils, Adelaide, South Australia
B. A. Maher
Affiliation:
Department of Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
P. G. Self
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Soils, Adelaide, South Australia

Abstract

A series of experiments has been carried out to investigate the possible formation of magnetite, Fe3O4, under ambient soil-forming conditions. Rapid and easy synthesis of magnetite was achieved through controlled oxidation of Fe2+ solutions at room temperatures and near neutral pH values. The synthetic products were found to range in size between 0·01–0·07 µm (mean diameter) and hence span the theoretical superparamagnetic-single-domain grain-size boundary.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1986

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