Sulfur reactions and cryptic cross-linkages to oxygen, iron, and carbon cyclin

Sulfur speciation in any setting is controlled by a complex series of redox reactions, polymerization, and complexation reactions that are affected by both biotic and abiotic processes. Additionally there are several crossroads of reactions with oxygen, carbon, and iron in which polysulfide molecules serve as a key reaction component that affects not only sulfur speciation, but the speciation, solubility, and bioavailability of these elements as well. Utilizing a combination of analytical approaches including electrochemistry, spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and chromatography, we have started to unravel the interconnections between sulfur and other key elements, and how microorganisms may be either direct or indirect contributors to these chemical and mineralogical signatures.

In microbial mats, we have observed microbial production of significant hydrogen peroxide under UV-stressed conditions. This peroxide interaction with hydrogen sulfide changes the kinetics and the pathways of abiotic sulfur reactions, potentially affecting the overall bioavailability and isotopic fractionations for specific reactions via a change in the linkage between oxygen and sulfur cycling.

In systems containing significant iron, we have observed the production of an electroactive form of ferrous iron and sulfide (FeS_(aq)) that is of a size that can be described between a dissolved molecular cluster and a small nanoparticle. This FeS(aq) can be a significant fraction of the dissolved iron or sulfide in a system, and is a key part of both the solubility of iron and sulfur and the pathways potentially important for pyritization reactions.

In systems where we investigate the links between sulfur and carbon, laboratory and field experiments indicate a wide range of large and more reduced organic compounds are highly reactive towards polysulfide. Utilizing Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry in conjunction with electrochemistry and chromatography, we are seeing a range of key reactions that occur over seconds between polysulifdes and organic compounds found in different organic matrices including Suwannee River natural organic matter and extracts of pine needles.