The Role and Implications of Bassanite as a Stable Precursor Phase to Gypsum 
Precipitation

Van Driessche, A. E. S.; Benning, Liane G.; Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D.; Ossorio, M.; Bots, P.; Garcia-Ruiz, J. M.

doi:10.1126/science.1215648

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The Role and Implications of Bassanite as a Stable Precursor Phase to Gypsum Precipitation

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Van Driessche, A. E. S.
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Benning, Liane G.
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Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D.
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Ossorio, M.
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Bots, P.
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Garcia-Ruiz, J. M.
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Citation

Van Driessche, A. E. S., Benning, L. G., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Ossorio, M., Bots, P., Garcia-Ruiz, J. M. (2012): The Role and Implications of Bassanite as a Stable Precursor Phase to Gypsum Precipitation. - Science, 336, 6077, 69-72.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1215648

Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_806960

Abstract

Calcium sulfate minerals such as gypsum play important roles in natural and industrial processes, but their precipitation mechanisms remain largely unexplored. We used time-resolved sample quenching and high-resolution microscopy to demonstrate that gypsum forms via a three-stage process: (i) homogeneous precipitation of nanocrystalline hemihydrate bassanite below its predicted solubility, (ii) self-assembly of bassanite into elongated aggregates co-oriented along their c axis, and (iii) transformation into dihydrate gypsum. These findings indicate that a stable nanocrystalline precursor phase can form below its bulk solubility and that in the CaSO4 system, the self-assembly of nanoparticles plays a crucial role. Understanding why bassanite forms prior to gypsum can lead to more efficient anti-scaling strategies for water desalination and may help to explain the persistence of CaSO4 phases in regions of low water activity on Mars.