Spectromicroscopy of Mn distributions in micronodules produced by biomineralization.
The interaction of single cell microorganisms with inorganic substrates is a central issue in soil and aquatic environmental chemistry. The biochemical pathways of the bacterial metabolism based on redox reactions of transition metal compounds involve the processes of microbial attachment to and subsequent modification of inorganic surfaces (biocorrosion), as well as the precipitation of inorganic compounds (biomineralization). Soft x-ray spectromicroscopy has been used to investigate Mn micronodules collected from freshwater sediments in order to attempt the direct mapping of the distribution of Mn valence states in biologically produced minerals.