Elemental Concentration and Sulfur Chemical Speciation in the Amazonian Plant Andira surinamensis Using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques (SR-XRF, XANES), RBS and WD-XRF

Abstract

The inorganic composition of the bark and leaf of a plant from the Amazon rainforest, Andira surinamensis, was determined using two non-destructive, multi-element techniques: X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). XRF measurements were made using both a conventional X-ray source and synchrotron radiation. It was observed that although magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, and potassium are present in higher concentrations in the leaf, calcium is about three times more concentrated in the bark. Manganese, iron, copper, zinc, strontium and barium were also detected, with barium showing a concentration above the minimum toxicity level for plants. Chemical speciation of sulfur, performed using the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) technique, showed that sulfur is present in several oxidation states, with a much larger contribution from the inorganic sulfate in the leaves. The article evidences that the combined use of synchrotron radiation and non-destructive multielement techniques allows for an efficient and accurate determination of the inorganic composition and chemical speciation in plants.

Microprobe-XRF Assessment of Nutrient Distribution in Soybean, Cowpea, and Kidney Bean Seeds: A Fabaceae Family Case Study

“…For evaluating the spatial distribution of micronutrients in seeds, the linescan analysis approach showed to be more adequate than the maps, since the lower number of probed points enables exploring longer measurement time, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio and the detection of trace elements, such as Mn, Fe, and Zn in vegetal samples. ,− In this regard, a triple series of 64-point linescans were performed for each triplicate of Fabaceae seeds. Figure S4 details the linescans performed on seeds, while Figures S5–S7 show the XRF signals detected for Mn, Fe, and Zn in each one of the probed points.…”

Microprobe-XRF assessment of nutrient distribution in soybean, cowpea, and kidney bean seeds: a Fabaceae family case study

“…For evaluating the spatial distribution of micronutrients in seeds, the linescan analysis approach showed to be more adequate than the maps, since the lower number of probed points enables exploring longer measurement time, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio and the detection of trace elements, such as Mn, Fe, and Zn in vegetal samples [13,[42][43][44]. In this regard, a triple series of 64-point line scans were performed for each triplicate of Fabaceae seeds.…”

Pulsed Electron-Electron Double Resonance (PELDOR) and Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation (ESEEM) Spectroscopy in Bioanalysis

“…Since NEXAFS probes the transition to unoccupied molecular orbitals and scattering from neighboring atoms, it reflects differences in atomic neighborhood with respect to the atom being probed (first and second shell of coordination, bond substituents, etc.). In a sequence of papers, Pickering and Gonzalez et al (2019), with the permission of J. Braz. Chem.…”

“…Fig.10.16 LCF analysis of spectra from samples of parts of the Amazonian plant, Andira surinamensis a bark; b leaf. Reproduced fromGonzalez et al (2019), with the permission of J. Braz. Chem.…”