Session: Undergraduate Research Posters: Environmental Chemistry:

Fossilization studies often utilize samples of wood that are already fossilized in order to approximate environmental conditions at the time of mineralization but do not attempt to replicate these environments. It is not clear how specific environments promote one form of mineralization over another. This study establishes a chemical understanding of the surface chemistry by simplifying the silicification process to its essential parts: the structure of wood and an inorganic silica source. Activated charcoal, which mimics the structure of wood, was exposed to aqueous sodium metasilicate for up to 56 days and tested using thermogravimetric analysis. The results reveal new insights into the surface chemistry of aqueous wood silicification.

Geoffrey Bowers

St. Mary's College of Maryland

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