P K-Edge XANES Calculations of Mineral Standards: Exploring the Potential of Theoretical Methods in the Analysis of Phosphorus Speciation

Phosphorus K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure(XANES)spectroscopy is a technique routinely employed in the qualitativeand quantitative analysis of phosphorus speciation in many scientificfields. The data analysis is, however, often performed in a qualitativemanner, relying on linear combination fitting protocols or simplecomparisons between the experimental data and the spectra of standards,and little quantitative structural and electronic information is thusretrieved. Herein, we report a thorough theoretical investigationof P K-edge XANES spectra of NaH2PO4 & BULL;H2O, AlPO4, & alpha;-Ti(HPO4)(2)& BULL;H2O, and FePO4 & BULL;2H(2)O showingexcellent agreement with the experimental data. We find that differentcoordination shells of phosphorus, up to a distance of 5-6 & ANGS; from the photoabsorber, contribute to distinct features inthe XANES spectra. This high structural sensitivity enables P K-edgeXANES spectroscopy to even distinguish between nearly isostructuralcrystal phases of the same compound. Additionally, we provide a rationalizationof the pre-edge transitions observed in the spectra of & alpha;-Ti(HPO4)(2)& BULL;H2O and FePO4 & BULL;2H(2)O through density of states calculations. These pre-edge transitionsare found to be enabled by the covalent mixing of phosphorus s andp orbitals and titanium or iron d orbitals, which happens even thoughneither metal ion is directly bound to phosphorus in the two systems. Calculating a P K-edge XANES spectrumwith the FDMNES programstarting from a crystallographic structure leads to excellent agreementwith the experimental data and DOS calculations that enable accurateinterpretation of the observed transitions.

Automated summary

Phosphorus K-edge XANES spectroscopy is commonly used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of phosphorus speciation. However, the data analysis is often qualitative and lacks quantitative structural and electronic information. In this study, we conducted a theoretical investigation and found that different coordination shells of phosphorus contribute to distinct features in the XANES spectra. We also provided a rationalization of the observed transitions in the spectra through density of states calculations. The results show excellent agreement with experimental data and enable accurate interpretation of the observed transitions.