The purpose of this study was the elucidation of the chemical mechanism of an important process in iron acquisition by graminaceous plants: the dissolution of iron oxides in the presence of phytosiderophores. We were particularly interested in the effects of diurnal root exudation of phytosiderophores and of the presence of other organic ligands in the rhizosphere of graminaceous plants on the dissolution mechanism. Phytosiderophores of the type 2¢-deoxymugineic acid (DMA) were purified from the root exudates of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Tamaro). DMA-promoted dissolution of goethite under steady-state and non-steady-state conditions and its dependence on pH, adsorbed DMA concentration, and the presence of the organic ligand oxalate were studied. We show that dissolution of goethite by phytosiderophores follows a surface controlled ligand promoted dissolution mechanism. We also found that oxalate, an organic ligand commonly found in rhizosphere soils, has a synergistic effect on the steady-state dissolution of goethite by DMA. Under non-steady-state addition of the phytosiderophore, mimicking the diurnal exudation pattern of phytosiderophore release, a fast dissolution of iron is triggered in the presence of oxalate. To investigate the efficiency of these mechanisms in plant iron acquisition, wheat plants were grown on a substrate amended with goethite as only iron source. The chlorophyll status of these plants was similar to ironfertilized plants and significantly higher than in plants grown in iron free nutrient solutions. This demonstrates that wheat can efficiently mobilize iron, even from well crystalline goethite that is usually considered unavailable for plant nutrition.

Tetravalent actinides are often considered environmentally immobile due to their strong hydrolysis and formation of sparingly soluble oxide phases. However, biogenic ligands commonly found in the soil environment may increase their solubility and mobility. We studied the adsorption and dissolution kinetics of UO2 in the presence of a microbial siderophore, desferrioxamine-B (DFO-B), under reducing conditions. Using batch and continuous flow stirred tank reactors (CFSTR),we found that DFO-B increases the solubility of UIV and accelerates UO2 dissolution rates through a ligand-promoted dissolution mechanism. DFO-B adsorption to UO2 followed a Langmuir-type isotherm. The maximum adsorbed DFO-B concentrations were 3.3 micromol m(-2) between pH 3 and 8 and declined above pH 8. DFO-B dissolved UO2 at a DFO-B surface-saturated net rate of 64 nmol h(-1) m(-2) (pH 7.5, l = 0.01 M) according to the first-order rate equation R = kL[Lads], with a rate coefficient kL of 0.019 h(-1). Even at very low siderophore concentrations (e.g. 1 microM), net dissolution rates (16 nmol h(-1) m(-2), pH 7.5, l = 0.01 M) were substantially greater than net proton-promoted dissolution rates (3 nmol h(-1) m(-2), pH 7-7.5, l = 0.01 M). Interestingly, adding dissolved FeIII had negligible effects on DFO-B-promoted UO2 dissolution rates, despite its potential as a competitor for DFO-B and as an oxidant of UIV. Our results suggest that strong organic ligands could influence the environmental mobility of tetravalent actinides and should be considered in predictions for nuclear waste storage and remediation strategies.

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