Isotope Doping and Reaction Kinetics

In the past 10 years, we have been using the isotope doping method from the field of chemistry and biology together with newly available non-traditional stable isotopes to advance the near-equilibrium reaction kinetics.

(^Uundergraduate, ^Ggraduate, ^PDpostdoc authors supervised by Zhu; ^*corresponding author)

• Schott, J., Saldi, G.D., Zhu, C., Gong, L. and Chen, K.Y. (2024) Albite dissolution and precipitation kinetics as a function of departure from equilibrium in ²⁹Si spiked aqueous solutions at 150 and 180° C: Direct evidence for the decrease of the forward dissolution rate and the reactive surface area with the reaction progress. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. DOI.
• ^GChen, M.K., Gong, L., Schott, J., Lu, P., Chen, K.Y., Yuan, H.L., Sun, J., Apps, J., Zhu*, C. (2025). Coupled feldspar dissolution and secondary mineral precipitation in batch systems: 6. Labradorite dissolution, calcite growth, and clay precipitation at 60 °C and pH 8.2–8.4. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 390, 181-198. DOI.
• ^GChen, M.K., Lu, P., Song, Y.C., Zhu, C. (2024) Geochemical modeling to aid experimental design for multiple isotope tracer studies of coupled dissolution and precipitation reaction kinetics, Acta Geochimica. 43, 1-15, DOI.
• ^GKang, J.T., Bracco, J.N., Rimstidt, J.R., Zhu, G.H., Huang, F. and ^*Zhu, C. (2022). Ba attachment and detachment fluxes to and from barite surfaces in ¹³⁷Ba-enriched solutions with variable [Ba²⁺]/[SO₄^2-] ratios near solubility equilibrium. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. v317,180-200. DOI.
• ^*Zhu, C., ^GZhang, Y.L., Rimstidt, J.D., Gong, L., ^UBurkhart, J.A., Chen, K.Y. and Yuan, H.L. (2021) Testing hypotheses of albite dissolution mechanisms at near-equilibrium using Si isotope tracers. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. v303, 15-37. DOI.
• ^*Zhu, C.,  Rimstidt, J.D., ^GZhang,Y.L., ^GKang,J.T., Schott, J. and Yuan, H.L. (2020) Decoupling feldspar dissolution and precipitation rates at near-equilibrium with Si isotope tracers: Implications for modeling silicate weathering. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. v271, 132-153. DOI.
• Gong, L., Rimstidt, J.D.^†, ^GZhang, Y.L., Chen, K.Y. and *Zhu, C. (2019) Unidirectional kaolinite dissolution rates at near-equilibrium and near-neutral pH conditions. Applied Clay Science v182. DOI.
• ^GZhang, Y.L., Gong, L., Chen, K.Y., ^UBurkhart, J., Yuan, H.L. and ^*Zhu, C. (2020) A method for Si isotope tracer kinetics experiments: Using Q-ICP-MS to obtain ²⁹Si/²⁸Si ratios in aqueous solutions. Chemical Geology v531. DOI.
• ^*Zhu, C., ^PDLiu, Z.Y., ^PDWang, C., ^USchaefer, A., ^GLu, P., ^GZhang, G.R., ^GZhang, Y.L., Georg, R.B., Rimstidt, J.D. and Yuan, H.L. (2016) Measuring silicate mineral dissolution rates using Si isotope doping. Chemical Geology, 445: 146-163. DOI.
• ^PDLiu, Z.Y., ^GZhang, Y.L., Yuan, H.L., Rimstidt, J.D. and ^*Zhu, C. (2016) A stable isotope doping method to test the range of applicability of detailed balance. Geochemical Perspective Letters 2(1): 78-86. DOI.
• Gruber, C., Zhu, C., Georg, R.B., Zakon, J. and Ganor, J. (2014) Resolving the gap between laboratory and field rates of feldspar weathering. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 147: 90–106. DOI.
• Gruber, C., Harpaz, L., Zhu, C., Bullen, T.D. and Ganor, J. (2013) A new approach for measuring dissolution rates of silicate minerals by using silicon isotope. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 104: 261-280. DOI.