How minerals react in the environment depends on particle size

Abstract

One of the most common groups of minerals on earth is the iron oxides, found in soils, rusting iron, and the dust of Mars. Due to their importance in the environment, iron oxide minerals have been widely studied, providing insight into their properties and reactivities. But when the size of minerals decreases to 1 to 10 nanometers (billionths of a meter), many of their properties change.