Far-from-equilibrium, steady-state dissolution rates at pH 4 of a
suite of natural glasses, ranging from basaltic to rhyolitic in composition,
have been determined as a function of aqueous fluoride concentrations up to 1.8
X 10(-4) mol/kg in mixed-flow reactors. Dissolution rates of each of these
glasses increase monotonically with increasing aqueous fluoride concentration.
Measured dissolution rates are found to be consistent with both the Furrer and
Stumm (1986) surface coordination model and the Oelkers (2001) multi-oxide
dissolution model. Application of the latter model yields the following
equation that can describe all measured rates as a function of both glass and
aqueous solution composition: log (r(+.geo)/(mol/m(2)/s)) = [-0.086 (.)
SiO2(wt%) - 2.23] + [0.0067 (.) SiO2(wt%) + 0.683] (.)
log(alpha(H+)(3)/alpha(Al3+)) where r(+),(geo) represents the
far-from-equilibrium dissolution rate, normalized to geometric surface area,
SiO2(wt.%) refers to weight percent of SiO2 in the glass, and alpha(i) denotes
the activity of the subscripted aqueous species. Computed glass dissolution
rates increase with increasing aqueous fluoride concentration due to the
formation of aqueous Al-fluoride complexes, which decrease alpha(Al)(3+). This
rate expression can be used to predict far-from-equilibrium dissolution rates
of natural glasses in a variety of natural environments. Comparison of rate
predictions with the composition of natural fluids suggests that the presence
of aqueous fluoride can enhance natural glass dissolution rates by an order of
magnitude or more in a variety of geochemical systems. Copyright (C) 2004
Elsevier Ltd.