The nature of interstratification in mixed-layer illite-montmorillonites has been investigated by comparison of diffraction patterns of ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether treated samples with calculated one-dimensional diffraction profiles. The calculated profiles take into account the effects of particle size distribution, chemical composition, and convolution factors as well as proportions of layers and interstratification type. On the basis of detailed matching of diffraction patterns of monomineralic illite-montmorillonites of known chemical composition it is concluded that there are three types of interstratification: (1) random, (2) allevardite-like ordering, and (3) superlattice units consisting of three illite and one montmorillonite layers (IMII). By comparison of suites of calculated profiles with the diffraction patterns of many samples of illite-montmorillonites it is concluded that virtually all illite-montmorillonites with expandabilities from about 40 to 100 per cent are randomly interstratified (allevardite being exceptional); at >40 per cent montmorillonite layers they almost always have ordered interstratification. Allevardite-like ordering predominates in illitemontmorillonites which have ordered interstratification, with the IMII superlattice varieties confined to samples with about 10 per cent montmorillonite layers.

The unit-cell dimensions of synthetic, Al-substituted goethites showed that the c dimension is a linear function of Al substitution in the range 0–33 mole % Al, but that the a dimension is variable over this same range. The b dimension is also linearly related to Al substitution but is slightly more variable than the c dimension for Al substitutions of 20–33 mole %. The variability of the a dimension is postulated to be the result of structural defects. An improved procedure for estimating Al substitution from x-ray powder diffraction positions requires (1) calculation of the c dimension from the positions of the 110 and 111 diffraction lines using the formula: c = (1/d(111)2 − 1/d(110)2)−1/2, and (2) estimation of Al substitution from the relationship: mole % Al = 1730 − 572.0c. The 95% confidence interval of the estimate is ±2.6 mole % Al when using this procedure, in contrast to ±4.0 mole % Al when the position of the 111 reflection alone is used.

The nature of the siloxane surface in smectites was investigated by measuring the adsorption of aromatic hydrocarbons from water by organo-clays. The organo-clays were prepared by replacing the hydrophilic, inorganic exchange cations of a series of smectites with the small, hydrophobic organic cation, trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA). Smectites with a range in charge densities were used that resulted in different TMPA contents in the organo-clays. Adsorption isotherms of benzene, alkylbenzenes, and naphthalene from water by the TMPA-smectites indicated that sorption was inversely related to TMPA content. The Langmuir form of the isotherms suggests that the aromatic compounds adsorb to the clay surface. Possible adsorptive sites in TMPA-smectites are limited to the TMPA cations and the siloxane oxygen surfaces. Because sorption increased as layer charge and TMPA content decreased, the organic compounds must adsorb to the siloxane surfaces.

Calculations based on an adsorbed compound monolayer, which was estimated by fitting adsorption data to the Langmuir equation, and the N2 specific surface area of each TMPA-clay, indicate that the surface area occupied by each adsorbed molecule increases as the planar area of the molecule increases. This strongly indicates that the planar surfaces of the compounds adsorb directly to the clay surface. Apparently, the TMPA cations function to keep the smectite interlayers open. Interactions between the phenyl groups of TMPA cations on opposing interlayer clay surfaces may act to increase the size of the adsorptive regions. These results show that the siloxane surfaces of smectites can effectively adsorb aromatic hydrocarbons from water if the hydrophilic, inorganic exchange cations are replaced with small, hydrophobic organic cations. The strong adsorption of hydrophobic organic molecules from water demonstrates the hydrophobicity of the siloxane surfaces in smectites.

Several clay organic complexes were prepared by placing organic cations on the exchange sites of smectite clays and studied as sorbents for pentachlorophenol (PCP). The organic cations used ranged from very hydrophobic in nature (e.g., dioctadecyldimethyl+ (DODMA+)- and hexadecyltrimethyl+ (HDTMA+)-ammonium) to those having minimal hydrophobic properties, such as tetramethylammonium+ (TMA+). In general, the more hydrophobic the cation on the smectite the greater the uptake of PCP from water. For the very hydrophobic clays (DODMA+- and HDTMA+-smectite) the uptake of PCP was via non-polar interactions between the alkyl (e.g., -C18) groups on the organic cation and PCP. In a mechanistic sense, this interaction appeared to be similar to a partitioning process between water and the organic phase of the clay-organic complex. The organic phases of DODMA+-smectite were about 10 times more effective than the organic matter of natural sediments for removing PCP from water. For those organo-clays containing small organic cations (e.g., TMA+), the organic phase consisted of separate small organic moieties, such as the methyl group. This phase did not act as an effective partitioning medium despite a significant carbon content, and very little PCP was taken up. Results from this study suggest the possibility of treating soils and subsurface materials with large hydrophobic organic cations to enhance the sorptive properties of these natural materials.

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of molecular structure in the interlayers of 2:1 Na-saturated clay minerals were performed to address several important simulation methodological issues. Investigation was focused on monolayer hydrates of the clay minerals because these systems provide a severe test of the quality and sensitivity of MC interlayer simulations. Comparisons were made between two leading models of the water-water interaction in condensed phases, and the sensitivity of the simulations to the size or shape of the periodically-repeated simulation cell was determined. The results indicated that model potential functions permitting significant deviations from the molecular environment in bulk liquid water are superior to those calibrated to mimic the bulk water structure closely. Increasing the simulation cell size or altering its shape from a rectangular 21.12 Å × 18.28 Å × 6.54 Å cell (about eight clay mineral unit cells) had no significant effect on the calculated interlayer properties.

The swelling of some well-defined Mg-, Ca-, Sr- and Ba- homoionic montmorillonites was studied in the domain of water relative pressures lower than 0.95. This involves the expansion of the crystal lattice itself, commonly known as the “interlamellar expansion” or “inner crystalline swelling”. The initial freeze-dried clays were characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption volumetry and controlled transformation rate thermal analysis. The evolution of the structural and textural properties of these different clays at different stages of hydration and dehydration was investigated using water adsorption gravimetry, immersion microcalorimetry at different precoverage water vapor relative pressures and X-raydiffraction (XRD) under controlled humidity conditions. Large textural variations are observed in the dry state depending on the exchangeable cations. The 2-layer hydrate exhibits the most ordered layer stacking. Water is mainly adsorbed in the interlamellar space. With increasing water pressure, each homoionic species leads to a 1-layer hydrate and, with the exception of Ba-montmorillonite, to a predominant 2-layer hydrate. The relative pressure corresponding to the formation of the 2-layer hydrate decreases with increasing hydration energy of the interlayer cation. For Ca-, Sr- or Mg-montmoriHonites, simulation of XRD patterns leads to the definition of successive homogeneous states corresponding to the 2-layer hydrate. Furthermore, it yields the water filling ratio corresponding to the different hydration states during adsorption and desorption of water vapor.

A stable porous system consisting of montmorillonite cross-linked by Al-hydroxide oligomers was synthesized by reacting at room temperature an aqueous solution of such oligomers with a unit-layer dispersion of montmorillonite. The resulting cross-linked montmorillonite (Al-CLM) is a nonswelling material, showing basal spacings of 14.4 to 18.8 Å after air drying and between 14.2 to 18.0 Å after treatment at 110°C. The basal spacing is found to depend on the age and OH/Al ratio of the Al-hydroxide solution, as well as on the relative amounts of the two reactants. A specific surface area of 160 m2/g and a diffraction pattern with a dominant basal spacing of 17.5 Å is obtained by using Al-hydroxide with OH/Al = 1.85, aged for at least 5 days, and by applying an Al/montmorillonite ratio greater than 1.5 in the cross-linking process. The basal spacing of Al-CLM remains essentially unchanged after heating at 220°C, while the specific surface area is not affected by heat treatment up to 480°C.

Two possible configurations of Al-hydroxide oligomers, homogeneously distributed between parallel montmorillonite unit-layers, were considered in order to account for the basal spacing of 17.5–18.8 Å, viz. (a) stacking of two oligomeric ring units in parallel orientation relative to the clay lamellae and (b) perpendicular orientation of individual oligomeric units.

Experimental cation exchange capacities (CEC) of kaolinites were determined and compared to theoretical calculations of CEC. The comparison reveals that the exchangeable cations occur mostly on the edges and on the basal (OH) surfaces of the mineral. It also shows that permanent negative charge from isomorphous substitution of Al3+ for Si4+ is insignificant. The CEC of kaolinite strongly depends on the particle size (both thickness and diameter in the (00l plane) and pH value. Particle size is more important than crystallinity in affecting kaolinite CEC. This study shows that the hydroxyls on the exposed basal surfaces may be ionizable in aqueous solutions. The amount of negative charge on the edges and the exposed basal hydroxyls depends on pH and other ion concentrations. A higher pH value gives rise to more negative charges, which lead to a higher CEC value. This study indicates that charge from broken edges and exposed OH planes rather than charge from Al/Si substitution determines the kaolinite CEC, even at zero point charge. A high CEC in some kaolinites is found to be due to smectite layers on the surface of the kaolinite crystals.

Expansion properties often homoionic smectites that differed in amount and location of layer charge were examined by X-ray powder diffraction analysis at various relative humidities, or after glycerol or ethylene glycol solvations. Except for K-samples with glycerol solvation, and Na- and Ca-samples with ethylene glycol, differences in the basal spacings are observed in samples having similar layer charge. These results show that the basal spacings are larger when the layer charge is located in octahedral sites than when it is in tetrahedral sites. This suggests that expansion is due to the combined effects of the charge location and amount.

The effects of layer charge magnitude and location on expansion were represented by an energy change (expansion energy: ΔEr) during the hydration and solvation processes. Plots of basal spacings versus ΔEr show a reasonable relationship; the spacings generally decrease stepwise as the value of ΔEr increases. The basal spacings of K-samples with glycerol solvation, Na-saturated and K-saturated samples at 100% RH are apt to contract stepwise with increasing value of ΔEr. For these samples, the figures showing the relationship between each expanded phase and the charge characteristics are obtained from the isoquants of ΔEr, given the boundary of the expanded phases. A behavior test using these figures may be combined with the Greene-Kelly test to estimate the amount and the location of the layer charge of common smectites.

Smectites are one of the most important groups of phyllosilicates found in soils and sediments, and certainly one of the most difficult to study. New information about the formation mechanisms, impact of structural features on surface properties, and long-term stability of smectites can best be gained from the systematic study of single-phase specimens. In most instances, these specimens can only be obtained through synthesis under controlled conditions. Syntheses of smectites have been attempted (1) at ambient pressure and low-temperature (<100°C), (2) under moderate hydrothermal conditions (100–1000°C, pressures to several kbars), (3) under extreme hydrothermal conditions (>1000°C or pressures >10 kbars), and (4) in the presence of fluoride. Of these approaches, syntheses performed under moderate hydrothermal conditions are the most numerous and the most successful in terms of smectite yield and phase-purity. Using hydrothermal techniques, high phase-purity can be obtained for beidellites and several transition-metal smectites. However, synthesis of montmorillonite in high purity remains difficult. Starting materials for hydrothermal syntheses include gels, glasses, and other aluminosilicate minerals. The presence of Mg2+ seems to be essential for the formation of smectites, even for phases such as montmorillonite which contain low amounts of Mg. Highly crystalline smectites can be obtained when extreme temperatures or pressures are used, but other crystalline impurities are always present. Although the correlation between synthesis stability fields and thermodynamic stability fields is good in many instances, metastable phases are often formed. Few studies, however, include the additional experiments (approach from under-and over-saturation, reversal experiments) needed to ascertain the conditions for formation of thermody-namically stable phases. Thorough characterization of synthetic products by modern instrumental and molecular-scale techniques is also needed to better understand the processes leading to smectite formation.

The absorption spectra of methylene blue ion exchanged on hectorite, Laponite B, Barasym, or sepiolite in dilute aqueous suspensions show the presence of the monomer, the protonated monomer, the dimer, and the trimer. Due to conformational differences, the absorption band maximum of the monomer with respect to its maximum in aqueous solution is red shifted when it is adsorbed on the external surface and blue shifted when it is adsorbed on the interlamellar surface. The availability of the interlamellar surface for methylene blue as a function of the type of clay and/or the counterion present thereby can be probed. The results indicate that 0.6–0.7% of the cation-exchange capacity of Barasym consists of acid sites capable of protonating methylene blue. Counterions of low hydration energy were found to induce a small number of similar sites in hectorite and Laponite B; hence, these sites must be situated on the external surface. Dimers formed on external surfaces show one absorption band. Dimers formed on the interlamellar surface of hectorite yield spectra having two absorption bands. The trimer was formed only at the external surface. With increasing loading of the clays, the spectra of methylene blue showed metachromasy. The metachromatic behavior can be fully explained by dye aggregation, which is the result of its concentration on the surface. No π-electron interaction with the surface oxygens need be invoked.

Hydrotalcite-like compounds [MgI − xAlx(OH)2]x+ [A2−x/2, mH2O]x−, where A2− is SO42− or CrO42− and x ≇ 0.25, were prepared by a coprecipitation method and their physico-chemical properties were studied by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, i.r. absorption spectra and acidity-basicity measurement.

The compounds including SO42− and CrO42− were analogous to an orthorhombic hydrotalcite and the lattice constants, a0 and c0 were 3.05 and 25.97 Å, and 3.05 and 26.48 Å, respectively. The crystallite size and strain in the 003 direction were 127 Å and 4.77 × 10−2 for the SO42− system or 83 Å and 6.60 × 10−2 for the CrO42− system, indicating a largely distorted microcrystallite. Two endothermic peaks observed at 240 and 455°C for the SO42− system and at 230 and 460°C for the CrO42− system are ascribed to the eliminations of interlayer water (mH2O) and structural water, respectively. The compound including SO42− formed MgO by calcination at 500°C and MgSO4 and MgAl2O4 by calcination at 800°C while the compound including CrO42− formed MgO at 400°C and MgAl2 − xCrxO4 at 800° I.r. study of the SO42− compound indicated that the bonding of SO42− was a bridge type. The highest acid and base strengths of the SO42− compound were H0 ≤ 1.5 and H− ≥ 12.2, the acidity and basicity being 0.3 and 0.1 mmol/g, respectively.

Vermiculites and smectites in soils and sediments are frequently partially interlayered or “chloritized”. Dioctahedral expansible layer silicates are those most frequently interlayered, and hydroxy-Al appears to be the principal component of the non-exchangeable interlayer material.

The most favorable soil conditions for interlayer formation appear to be: moderate pH (4·6–5·8), frequent wetting and drying cycles, and low organic matter content.

In marine sediments, hydroxy-Mg interlayering may be significant. Soil-derived clays containing partially filled hydroxy-Al “brucite” sheets may be filled out with hydroxy-Mg. Under reducing conditions, hydroxy-Fe interlayers may be important.

Depending on the OH/Al ratio and Al content of hydroxy-Al interlayers, expansible layer silicate may either promote or retard the formation of gibbsite. Interlayered expansible layer silicates also may be precursors to kaolinite.

The use of Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory in colloid science has continued to the present day in spite of the inability of this theory to explain, even qualitatively, numerous phenomena exhibited by clays and other colloidal materials. An alternative description of the fundamental forces involved in the formation of dispersions and gels was presented in 1938 by Langmuir, but was never widely accepted among colloid scientists. Recent experimental and theoretical work, particularly in Japan, has revived this alternative view, in which a long-range Coulombic attraction force appears to explain several phenomena, particularly transitions among ordered and disordered phases of colloidal particles in dilute salt solutions.

Examples are given from surface chemistry where rather complex models based on diffuse double layer theory are used to explain chemical adsorption behavior that often has a simpler explanation. It is argued that the rule of parsimony (Ockham's Razor) should be applied to complex models that appear to explain the data at hand before such models are taken to be generally valid. A satisfactory fit of model predictions to experimental data obtained under a very limited range of conditions does not prove the validity of the model. Thus, it is concluded that the DLVO theory and its modifications fail to meet the 2 criteria necessary to the acceptance of a theory: agreement with observations and simplicity.

A knowledge of the distribution of pore sizes in clay and soil bodies is a useful element in the microstructural characterization of such materials. Pore-size distributions and total porosity of a number of reference clays, naturally-occurring subsoils, and commercial clay samples prepared in various ways were determined by mercury porosimetry. The range of equivalent pore diameter explored covered almost five orders of magnitude, from several hundred microns down to approximately 150 A. The method and its assumptions are critically evaluated, and measurements of the contact angle of mercury on clays yield values of 139° for montmorillonite and 147° for kaolinite and illite clays. The extent of shrinkage on oven-drying prior to mercury intrusion is assessed in each case and found to vary from insignificant to as much as 30 per cent of the pore space, depending on microstructural state and degree of initial saturation. The development of techniques for water removal which do not involve change in pore structure is explored. Some preliminary results for structurally weak saturated clays suggest that critical-region drying and perhaps freeze-drying procedures may be practical.

Quantitative measurement of the relative degree of crystal perfection among 144 samples of Coastal Plain kaolin shows that the deposits are nonhomogeneous with respect to crystallinity and that the hard and soft types can be distinguished at the 0.95 probability level by an analysis of variance. The nonhomogeneity of the deposits and the distinction between the hard and soft types agrees with the results obtained for other properties not reported here. Although on the basis of pulverizing ease there may be a single population with hard and soft end members, in terms of origin the evidence indicates the existence of two distinct clay populations.

The dehydroxylation of a series of the kaolinite clay minerals, kaolinite, halloysite and dickite, has been investigated by Fourier transform in situ infrared emission spectroscopy over a temperature range of 100 to 800°C at both 50 and 5° intervals. Excellent correspondence was obtained between the high temperature emission spectra and FTIR absorption spectra of the quenched clay mineral phases. The major advantage of the technique lies in the ability to obtain vibrational spectroscopic information in situ at the elevated temperature. Dehydroxylation at a number of temperatures was determined by the loss of intensity of hydroxyl bands as indicated by intensity changes of the 3550 cm−1 to 3750 cm−1 emission spectra. As with all clay minerals, kaolinite clay mineral dehydroxylation is structure dependent. No clay phase changes occur until after dehydroxylation takes place. The kaolinite clay mineral loses the inner sheet and inner hydroxyl groups simultaneously, whereas dickite and halloysites are shown to lose the outer hydroxyls, as evidenced by the intensity loss of the ~3684 cm−1 peak, before the inner hydroxyl groups as determined by the intensity loss of the 3620 cm−1 peak. Evidence for a high temperature stable hydroxyl band at 3730 cm−1 for dickite and halloysite was obtained. This band is attributed to the formation of a silanol group formed during the dehydroxylation process. It is proposed that the dehydroxylation process for kaolinite takes place homogenously and involves 2 mechanisms. The dehydroxylation of dickite and halloysite takes place in steps, with the first hydroxyl loss taking place homogenously and the second inhomogenously.

Synthetic 2-line and 6-line ferrihydrite samples prepared from ferric nitrate solutions have the bulk compositions Fe4(O,OH,H2O)12 and Fe4,6(O,OH,H2O)12, respectively. The composition depends on crystal size, which averages 20 Å for 2-line and 35 Å for 6-line ferrihydrite. X-ray absorption edge spectra indicate the presence of tetrahedral Fe3+, a conclusion supported by heating experiments which show the development of maghemite after heating to 300°C in the presence of N2, followed by the formation of hematite at higher temperatures. These two reactions are recorded on differential thermal analysis traces by exotherms at 350° and 450°C. Transmission electron microscopy shows that 2-line ferrihydrite has no Z-axis regularity but does show hexagonal 2.54-Å lattice fringes. Six-line ferrihydrite forms faceted crystals having 9.4-Å c-parameter only detectable in dark field. In bright field, 2.54-Å lattice fringes indicate greater atomic regularity than in 2-line ferrihydrite. Analysis of the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of 6-line ferrihydrite suggests a structure based on double-hexagonal close-packed oxygens, containing 36% Fe in tetrahedral sites. Selective chemical dissolution, surface area measurements, and magnetic susceptibility are consistent with the recorded properties of ferrihydrite.

Titanium was introduced into the montmorillonite structure by cation exchange with polymeric Ti cations, formed by partial hydrolysis of TiCl4 in HCl. On further hydrolysis and heating, TiO2 pillars in the form of anastase were formed between the montmorillonite layers. The resulting TiO2-cross-linked montmorillonites possessed surface areas in the range 200–350 m2/g and pore volumes of about 0.2 cm3/g and were thermally and hydrothermally stable to 700°C. The basal spacing of products heated at temperatures > 200°C was about 28Å, as determined by X-ray powder diffraction and by N2-desorption pore-size analysis. The surface area increased and the pore volume decreased with increasing HCl-concentration in the Ti-solution. The uptake of TiO2 by the montmorillonite, the surface area, and the pore volume increased with increasing amount of Ti added in the preparation, to about 10 mmoles of Ti/g of montmorillonite. A further increase in the amount of Ti added resulted in a decrease in surface area, but the pore volume and the uptake of TiO2 remained almost constant. The high porosity and the interlayer spacing of the product are consistent with a structure similar to that previously proposed for smectites, cross-linked with hydroxy-Al oligocations.

Chlorite minerals, found in a great variety of rocks and geological environments, display a wide range of chemical compositions and a variety of polytypes, which reflect the physicochemical conditions under which they formed. Of particular importance for studies dealing with ore deposit genesis, metamorphism, hydrothermal alteration or diagenesis is the paleotemperature of chlorite crystallization. However, in order to understand the relationship between chlorite composition and formation temperature and hence use chlorite as a geothermometer, one must determine how other parameters influence chlorite composition. These parameters may include fO2 and pH of the solution and Fe/(Fe + Mg) and bulk mineral composition of the host rock.

Four approaches to chlorite geothermometry, one structural and three compositional, have been proposed in the past: 1) a polytype method based on the (largely qualitative) observation that structural changes in chlorite may be partly temperature-dependent (Hayes, 1970); 2) an empirical calibration between the tetrahedral aluminum occupancy in chlorites and measured temperature in geothermal systems (Cathelineau, 1988), which has subsequently been modified by several workers; 3) a six-component chlorite solid solution model based upon equilibrium between chlorite and an aqueous solution, which uses thermodynamic properties calibrated with data from geothermal and hydrothermal systems (Walshe, 1986); and 4) a theoretical method based on the intersection of chlorite-carbonate reactions and the CO2-H2O miscibility surface in temperature-XCO2 space, which requires that the composition of a coexisting carbonate phase (dolomite, ankerite, Fe-calcite or siderite) be known or estimated (Hutcheon, 1990). These four approaches are reviewed and the different calculation methods for the compositional geothermometers are applied to a selection of chlorite analyses from the literature. Results of this comparative exercise indicate that no single chlorite geothermometer performs satisfactorily over the whole range of natural conditions (different temperatures, coexisting assemblages, Fe/(Fe + Mg), fO2, etc.). Therefore, chlorite geothermometry should be used with caution and only in combination with alternative methods of estimating paleotemperatures.