New insight into the local structure of hydrous ferric arsenate using full-potential multiple scattering analysis, density functional theory calculations, and vibrational spectroscopy

Hydrous ferric arsenate (HFA) is an important arsenic-bearing precipitate in the mining-impacted environment and hydrometallurgical tailings. However, there is no agreement on its local atomic structure. The local structure of HFA was reprobed by employing a full-potential multiple scattering (FPMS) analysis, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and vibrational spectroscopy. The FPMS simulations indicated that the coordination number of the As- Fe, Fe-As, or both in HFA was approximately two. The DFT calculations constructed a s t r u c t u r e of HFA with the formula o f Fe- (HAsO4)x(H2AsO4)1-x(OH)y×zH2O. The presence of protonated arsenate in HFA was also evidenced by vibrational spectroscopy. The As and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra of HFA were accurately reproduced by FPMS simulations using the chain structure, which was also a reasonable model for extended X-Ray absorption fine structure fitting. The FPMS refinements indicated that the interatomic Fe-Fe distance was approximately 5.2 A, consistent with that obtained by Mikutta et al. (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 47 (7), 3122-3131) using wavelet analysis. All of the results suggested that HFA was more likely to occur as a chain with AsO4 tetrahedra and FeO6 octahedra connecting alternately in an isolated bidentate-type fashion. This finding is of significance for understanding the fate of arsenic and the formation of ferric arsenate minerals in an acidic environment.