NMR spectroscopic study of organic phosphate esters coprecipitated with calcite.

Organic phosphorus incorporated in calcite during laboratory precipitation experiments and in natural cave deposits was investigated by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. For calcite precipitated in the presence of organic phosphoesters of varying size and functionality, solid-state 31 P{ 1 H} CP/MAS NMR shows that the phosphoesters were incorporated intact into the solid. Systematic changes in the 31 P NMR chemical shift of the phosphate group were observed between the solid phosphoester and that incorporated in the solid precipitate, yielding 31 P NMR chemical shifts of the coprecipitates in the range of +1.8 to −2.2 ppm. These chemical shifts are distinct from that of similarly prepared calcite coprecipitated with inorganic phosphate, 3.5 ppm. Only minor changes were noted in the phosphoester 31 P chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) which suggests no significant change in the local structure of the phosphate group, which is dominated by C–O–P bonding. Close spatial proximity of the organic phosphate group to calcite structural components was revealed by 31 P/ 13 C rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) experiments for coprecipitates prepared with 13 C-labeled carbonate. All coprecipitates showed significant 31 P dephasing effects upon 13 C-irradiation, signaling atomic-scale proximity to carbonate carbon. The dephasing rate for smaller organophosphate molecules is similar to that observed for inorganic phosphate, whereas much slower dephasing was observed for larger molecules having long and/or bulky side-chains. This result suggests that small organic molecules can be tightly enclosed within the calcite structure, whereas significant structural disruption required to accommodate the larger organic molecules leads to longer phosphate–carbonate distances. Comparison of 31 P NMR spectroscopic data from the synthetic coprecipitates with those from calcite moonmilk speleothems indicates that phosphorus occurs mainly as inorganic orthophosphate in the natural deposits, although small signals occur with characteristics consistent with phosphate monoesters. The results of this study indicate that trace- to minor concentrations of dissolved organic molecules can be effectively taken up during calcite precipitation and incorporated in the structure, leaving a resilient record of materials present during crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]