Surface reactivity of pyrite and related sulfides

Pyrite, FeS2, commonly referred to as “Fool’s gold” is the most common sulfide in the Earth’s surface region. Not only is the mineral ubiquitous, but the reactivity of pyrite is of central importance in a devastating environmental issue known as acid mine drainage (AMD) and in beneficial commercial processes such as mineral benefaction, which can range from the desulfurization of coal to the isolation of copper or gold ores. Pyrite has even been postulated to be a key constituent of a prebiotic iron–sulfur world existing at the high pressure and temperature conditions common to hydrothermal vents at the oceanic floor. The development of an atomic level picture of the structure and reactivity of pyrite is paramount to understanding the chemistry of this mineral in these wide-ranging environments. ontribution focuses on research carried out over the past three decades that has used modern surface science tools to understand the reactivity of pyrite surfaces. An understanding of the reactivity of the pyrite surfaces has benefited from studies using a wide range of experimental techniques that range from vacuum-based experiments utilizing electron and photon spectroscopies, and probe microscopy to in situ studies using infra-red spectroscopy. Synchrotron-based techniques that include photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy have played a large role in both these environments. These techniques have perhaps been the most useful in establishing the structure of the pristine pyrite surface. Related iron sulfides are also briefly introduced in this review including pyrrhotite (FexS1−x) and the dimorph of pyrite, marcasite. The surface reactivity of these sulfides exhibit both similarities and differences to pyrite, and help to bring forward the unique activity of pyrite in both environmentally and technologically important conditions.