Glauconite from the oxidized and reduced zones of soil-geologic columns at two Coastal Plain sites, one in Maryland and one in New Jersey, was examined by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The data indicate that glauconite in the reduced zones had a higher proportion of its structural iron in the ferrous, as opposed to the ferric state. The Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio ranged from 0 to 0.2 for the glauconite from the oxidized zone and was about 0.35 for the glauconite in the reduced zones. Despite the presence of pyrite in the reduced zone, which might be expected to make ferric iron unstable because of the presence of sulfide S, about 75% of the Fe in the glauconite in the reduced zone was in the ferric state. Thin section analysis showed some glauconite in the reduced zones to be intimately associated with pyrite and some aggregates of fine pyrite crystals were locally present in cracks in glauconite pellets. In the oxidized zones, pyrite was absent and the glauconite was more yellow under plane-polarized light, as opposed to more green for the glauconite in the reduced zones. These data indicate that reports of studies of glauconite should stipulate whether samples are from the oxidized or reduced zone of soil-geologic columns.

The effect of Fe oxidation state on the specific surface area, Sm, of nontronite was studied using the <2-µm, Na+-saturated fraction of the SWa-1 and Garfield nontronite reference clays. The reduction of structural Fe3+ in the octahedral sheet of the nontronite decreased Sm as measured by the adsorption of 2-ethoxyethanol (ethylene glycol-monoethyl ether, EGME). The swellability in water of the nontronite also decreased during reduction. The amount of nonexchangeable Na+, on the other hand, increased with increasing Fe2+ content and was highly correlated with EGME adsorption (r = -.985). The relationship between Sm and Fe2+ was attributed to the collapse of partially or fully expanded layers to unexpanded layers.

Infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies were made on hydrotalcite-like materials, Mg6Al2(OH)16(NO3)2·4H2O, anion exchanged in aqueous solution of K3Fe(CN)6, K4Fe(CN)6·3H2O, or Na2Fe(CN)5NO·2H2O. The material anion-exchanged in aqueous solution of K3Fe(CN)6 gave infrared (IR) absorption bands at 2120 and 2040 cm-1 in the C≡N stretching region, suggesting that part of the ferrate(III) complex was reduced to ferrate(II) complex on the intercalation chiefly because pure K3Fe(III)(CN)6 and K4Fe(II)(CN)6·3H2O gives bands at 2120 and 2040 cm-1, respectively. On the intercalation of Fe(CN)64-, no change in the oxidation state of iron was observed. These features were confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. In the IR spectra of material anion-exchanged in aqueous solution of Na2Fe(CN)5NO·2H2O, the intensity of bands due to N≡O (1940 cm-1) and C≡N stretching was much less than that observed for Na2Fe(CN)5NO·2H2O, indicating that most of N≡O ligand was eliminated during the intercalation. Four bands were observed in the C≡N stretching region: a band at 2143 cm-1 was assigned to C≡N groups in Fe(CN)5NO2-; a band at 2120 cm-1 was tentatively assigned to Fe(CN)5H2O2-; bands at 2040–2050 cm-1 were assigned to Fe(CN)5H2O3-.

At pH 12 Co-ferrihydrite transformed to either Co-goethite or Co-magnetite, the latter compound appearing at Co additions of > 18 mole %. Although Co was readily taken up by the magnetite structure, chemical analysis showed that no more than 7 mole % substitution of Co in goethite was achieved. Hematite formation was not strongly promoted by the presence of Co; with 9 mole % Co in the system, the amount of hematite relative to goethite in the product increased slightly. Co-substituted goethites grew as long, thin crystals. The presence of Co promoted some dendritic twinning of goethite. Cobalt retarded the transformation of ferrihydrite to more crystalline oxides mainly by stabilizing ferrihydrite against dissolution. A comparison of Co with divalent ions previously studied showed that their stabilizing ability decreases in the order Cu > Co > Mn, i.e., they follow the Irving-Williams series for the stability of metal complexes.

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) has shown regions of crystallites within noncrystalline matrices of three types of glass (volcanic glass, alkalic igneous glass, and synthetic, nuclear-waste-form glass) The volcanic glass fragments showed domains having 3-Å spacings. About 30% of the fragments of this glass showed localized lattice images, having spacings of 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 19, and 20 Å, which also contain regular fringes having 3.3-Å separations. In the alkalic igneous glass fragments 3-Å domain structures were also noted as were localized lattice images having 7- and 12.5-Å spacings. Well-developed hollow spheres of primitive clays were present in both the volcanic and alkalic igneous glasses. Synthetic, nuclear-waste-foTm glass, fused at 1400°C and annealed at 550°C, showed locally ordered regions having 3.3-Å spacings. Low-angle X-ray powder diffraction showed major reflections at 8.5, 15–16, and 19 Å, which agree with some of the HRTEM measurements. These observations of domain structures, localized lattice images, primitive clays, and 14-Å clays in such noncrystalline glass matrices may contribute to an understanding of the growth of clay minerals. Such domains can apparently trigger the growth of clay products on the glass substrate.

To determine the dependency of rheological properties on mineralogical characteristics, eleven organophilic hectorite and nine organophilic saponite samples were prepared from hydrothermally synthesized smectites and a quaternary ammonium salt containing mainly octadecyl groups as alkyl chains and were examined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), particle size, chemical, and rheological procedures. The rheological properties of the organophilic products dispersed in toluene were found to depend chiefly on (1) particle size, (2) the expansion behavior of the stacked clay platelets, in which the amount and location of negative charge of the silicate layer affected the expandability, and (3) the amount of methanol added as a polar activator. By the addition of 2–4% methanol, apparent viscosities of the hectorite clays were drastically increased at low shear rate, although even a 10% addition did not significantly affect the saponite clays. Under the most suitable gellation conditions, the saponite clays showed lower apparent viscosity than the hectorite clays. Inasmuch as the former had its negative charge near the surface of the silicate layer and formed strong bonds to the organic ion, the expansion of the platelets was apparently difficult. An optimum layer charge for increasing the viscosity was found; specifically 0.45–0.50 and 0.50–0.55 equivalents per half unit cell for saponite and hectorite clays, respectively. Because the saponite clays contained a denser population of organic ions than the hectorite clays, the ion density in the interlayer of both clays was considered to be the same, i.e., about 0.4 organic ions per unit ab area.

Volatiles formed on heating clay minerals contain a variety of cations and anions and are highly reactive. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer analysis of long-chain n-alkanes exposed to such volatiles showed that some decomposition occurred even <250°C. Reactions with anions donated by the volatiles led to compounds containing atoms other than C and H, e.g., Cl. The products obtained from n-alkanes heated in a stream of clay volatiles to 500°C resembled those produced by corresponding alkane-clay mixtures heated to 250°C. At higher temperatures contact between the alkanes and montmorillonite or halloysite led to changes in the assemblages formed, whereas kaolinite or sepiolite had no effect. Thus, the first reactions that occurred when clays were heated with n-alkanes were apparently induced by the volatiles; at higher temperatures catalysis due to direct contact came into play with some of the clay minerals.

Layer charge and cation-exchange characteristics of weathered biotite isolated from a Gray Luvisol in Saskatchewan showed that this product was a high-charge vermiculite. Cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of the sand-size (100–250 μm) weathered biotite particles from different horizons, as determined by a 30-min Ca/Mg exchange, was low (23–71 meq/100 g). Increasing the exchange period to 24 hr increased the CEC to 33–95 meq/100 g for samples from the solum horizons and to 155–163 meq/100 g for samples from C horizons. The free oxide coatings on the mineral particles in the solum horizon samples apparently prevented the exchange cations from entering the interlayers. Removal of free oxides followed by 24-hr exchange sharply increased the CEC of these samples to 105–155 meq/100 g. Oxidation and loss of structural iron resulted in lower octahedral-cation occupancy (2.4–2.6 per half unit cell), suggesting a transition of the trioctahedral biotite to dioctahedral vermiculite. X-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopic analyses of alkylammonium-exchanged samples from the sand fractions of all horizons and magnetic separates of the coarse clays showed a linear increase in the d-value of the vermiculite with increasing chain length of the cations. The linear relationships suggest a paraffin-type arrangement having a uniform and high layer charge (0.70–0.76 per half unit cell in the sand-size particles; 0.80–0.84 in the clay fraction). The empirical relationship between tilt angle (α) and the layer charge density for paraffin-type structures, as suggested by Lagaly and Weiss, cannot be used for accurate layer-charge determination. Based on experimental evidence, a straight line relationship between the tilt angle and layer charge is suggested. The layer charge values show no marked variation within the profile and agree well with those calculated from the chemical composition. The repotassified layers of vermiculite in the sand-size weathered biotite particles did not respond to the Ca/Mg exchange, but were expanded by the alkylammonium cations; in contrast, a pure biotite standard (Bancroft, Ontario) of same particle size was unaffected by either treatment.

Adsorption isotherms for water on homoionic (Ca2+, Li+, Na+, and K+) exchanged forms of Crook County, Wyoming, montmorillonite (CMS Source Clay SWy-1) were measured between 25° and 70°C using a vacuum microbalance having automated control of water vapor pressure. From these adsorption data, integral enthalpies and entropies of adsorption were calculated. Both quantities were negative, but decreased in magnitude with increasing amounts of adsorbed water. For all four cationic forms of the clay, the amount of initial water adsorption at 25°C and at low relative humidities was sensitive to the sample temperature during prior evacuation of water, less water being adsorbed by samples evacuated at 100°C compared with samples evacuated at 25°. For Ca- and Na-montmorillonite, these changes were reversible after several subsequent desorption/adsorption cycles, but recovery was not observed for the Li-SWy-1 clay, probably because of migration of Li+ into the aluminosilicate structure.

Gibbsite samples of various particle sizes (0.2–80 μm) were heated at 250°C in a series of straight-chain primary alcohols under the autogenous vapor pressure of the alcohol (alcohothermal treatment of gibbsite). The treatment in ethanol yielded pure boehmite, the morphology of which was similar to that of the boehmite obtained by hydrothermal treatment of gibbsite. In middle-range alcohols, the boehmite yields were low (50% if 80 μm gibbsite was used), and the products were contaminated by a poorly crystallized phase, having a χ-alumina-like structure. The products preserved the morphology of the originating gibbsite, this feature being similar to the thermal dehydration of gibbsite. Complete conversion to boehmite was also attained in mineral oil (a hydrocarbon mixture, which was used as a limit of higher alcohol. The morphology of the boehmite formed in this medium was identical to that of the product prepared by thermal dehydration of gibbsite in a sealed bomb without a medium. If fine particle-size gibbsite was used, the yield of boehmite decreased and the yield of the poorly crystallized phase increased in all the media.

The reaction mechanisms may be discussed in terms of the reported mechanisms for the thermal and hydrothermal formations of boehmite from gibbsite. Thus, in lower alcohols boehmite formed by a dissolution-recrystallization mechanism, whereas in middle-range or higher alcohols it formed by intra-particle hydrothermal reaction mechanism proposed by de Boer and coworkers for the thermal dehydration of gibbsite. The difference in behavior in middle-range and higher alcohols can be explained in terms of the solubility of water in the medium: In the middle-range alcohols, water molecules formed by partial dehydration of gibbsite were removed from the gibbsite particles into the medium so that dehydration proceeded in a manner similiar to that of thermal dehydration, whereas in the higher alcohols, the low solubility of water in the medium allowed the water molecules to remain on the surface of the particles, thereby promoting the complete hydrothermal formation of boehmite.

This paper compares the texture of palygorskite after acid leaching with that of the product after extraction silica is removed. These effects were evaluated on the basis of nitrogen adsorption-desorption and mercury penetration porosimetry. Acid leaching at reflux temperature with 2 N HCl resulted in an increase in surface area from 138 to 399 m2/g, due to a partial (~50%) dissolution of the octahedral sheet and the creation of microporosity. This microporosity disappeared if the silica generated by the leaching was removed. The surface area also decreased from 399 to 214 m2/g, and the pore volume decreased from 0.538 to 0.507 cm3/g. The microporosity must therefore have been due to texture development in the generated silica.

Hydrotalcite-like minerals, containing Mg2+-Al3+-Xn− (Xn− = NO3−, Cl−, SO42−, or CrO42−), Zn2+-Al3+-NO3−, or Zn2+-Cr3+-NO3− ions, were intercalated with Co(CN)63− by an anion exchange method. For most of the minerals examined, the degree of anion exchange was 79–90%. X-ray powder diffraction patterns of the ion-exchanged samples revealed two peaks at about 8° and 11°2θ (CuKα radiation) attributable to reflections from expanded and non-expanded interlayers, respectively. The intensity of the peak at about 8°2θ was a linear function of the degree of anion exchange. The amount of hexane adsorbed onto the anion-exchanged sample increased linearly with the increase in degree of anion exchange. From these results, anions near the edge of the interlayers appear to have been preferentially replaced by Co(CN)63− at a low degree of anion exchange, whereas those at some distance from the edge were replaced only at a high degree of anion exchange. The adsorption capacity of the Co(CN)63−-exchanged sample for hydrocarbons was: hexane ≃ 2-methylpentane ≫ cyclohexane > methylcyclohexane. The adsorption of chain hydrocarbons and cyclic hydrocarbons was different.

The adsorption from chloroform solution of the herbicide diclofop, (RS)-2-(4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenoxy)propionic acid, and its methyl ester diclofop-methyl on Cu2+-, Al3+-, and Fe3+-exchanged bentonite samples was investigated. For comparison, the complexes formed by diclofop were synthesized and studied. Diclofop adsorbed on the clays and formed carboxylate bonds to the interlayer ions. Diclofop-methyl also adsorbed, but its interaction involved the formation of hydrogen bonds with water molecules in the interlayer. Traces of diclofop were observed in both the solution and the clays after adsorption of diclofop-methyl, indicating that some hydrolysis of the ester to the corresponding acid occurred. Thus, pesticides forming neutral complexes with interlayer cations in montmorillonite in soils may be extractable by solvents and therefore released into the environment.

The influence of Mn2+ on the formation of Fe oxides at pHs of 6.0 and 8.0 and varying Mn/Fe molar ratios (0, 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0) in the FeCl2-NH4OH and FeSO4-NH4OH systems was studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), infrared absorption, transmission electron microscopic, and chemical analyses. In the absence of Mn2+, lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) were the crystalline species formed at pHs of 6.0 and 8.0, respectively, in the FeCl2 system, whereas lepidocrocite and goethite (α-FeOOH) and lepidocrocite were the crystalline species formed at pHs of 6.0 and 8.0, respectively, in the FeSO4 system. The amount of Mn coprecipitated with Fe (as much as 8.1 mole % in the FeCl2 system and 15.0 mole % in the FeSO4 system) increased as the initial solution Mn/Fe molar ratio increased from 0 to 10.0, resulting in the perturbation of the crystallization processes of the hydrolytic products of Fe formed. At pH 6.0, the perturbation led to the formation of poorly ordered lepidocrocite, as reflected in the increasing broadening of its characteristic peaks in the XRD patterns. At pH 8.0, poorly ordered iepidocrocite and a honessite-like mineral (Mn-Fe-SO4-H2O) formed in the FeCl2 and FeSO4 systems, respectively.

The Porters Creek Formation is mined as an absorbent clay in Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The absorptive properties of the Porters Creek Formation are due to the high content of smectite which constitutes >50% of the minerals present. Analyses of 220 samples of the Porters Creek collected in Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee indicate that the smectite content is highest on the western side of the Mississippi embayment and that the kaolinite content is highest on the northeastern side. The major influx of detritral clays appears to have entered the embayment from a large river on the northeast side. A major control of the distribution of clay minerals during the time of Porters Creek deposition was differential flocculation of kaolinite, illite, and smectite, as evidenced by the numerous syneresis cracks on bedding planes in the area of greatest kaolinite content. Estimates of the smectite, illite, and kaolinite contents suggest both horizontal and vertical variations among these clay minerals. In certain localities the oxidation of pyrite has created acid conditions, which apparently were conducive to the formation of authigenic halloysite.

The effects of relative humidity (RH) on the expansion of Mg-smectite, equilibrated with low vapor pressure of ethylene glycol (EG), was studied. Four smectite samples were equilibrated with EG vapor from: (1) saturated vapor of pure EG, (2) an EG-CaCl2 solvate, and (3) 0.05 relative EG vapor pressure at 65°C. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses of the clays under different RH conditions indicated that without EG, the basal spacing of Mg-smectite samples could only be expanded to 16 Å, even at 0.97 RH. The basal spacing of Mg-smectite samples equilibrated with saturated EG vapor was expanded to 17.1 Å and was not significantly affected by RH in the range 0.1–0.9. The basal spacing of the Mg-smectite samples equilibrated with vapor from the EG-CaCl2 solvate and 0.05 relative EG pressure at 65°C was expanded by an amount that depended on the RH during the XRD analysis. The basal spacing increased from 14.2 to 17.1 Å as the RH increased from 0.6 to 0.75, except for sample API 23, which expanded to 17.1 Å at RH > 0.9. This sample did not expand beyond 16 Å when it was equilibrated with 0.05 EG relative vapor pressure. Sorption of moisture from air caused the one-layer EG-Mg-smectite complex (basal spacing = 14.1 Å) to rearrange itself to a double-layer EG-Mg-smectite complex (basal spacing = 17.1 Å). A small amount of the adsorbed EG in Mg-smectite, much less than was needed to cover a one-layer of the interlayer surfaces, caused an expansion of the basal spacing to 17.1 Å at high RH during the XRD analysis. The minimum amount of adsorbed EG which caused the one-/two-layer EG complex conversion was about 20–30 mg EG/g. The conversion was fast (<5 min) and was relatively reversible.

1-4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane dihydrochloride (DABCO·2HC1) was reacted with two vermic-ulite samples to produce intercalates which, at room temperature, had relatively sharp, single crystal X-ray diffraction patterns. At higher temperatures (250°C) the stacking order decreased, and consequently the 0kl reflections with k ≠ 3n became increasingly diffuse. The stacking order of previously heated samples returned when they were cooled. A superstructure was present in which DABCO cations occupied the corners and center of a cell 3a × b, compared with the standard vermiculite cell.

DABCO-intercalated Nyasaland vermiculite had the following monoclinic subcell (symmetry C1) parameters under ambient conditions: a = 5.341(2), b = 9.249(3), c = 14.50(1) Å, and ß = 96.98(5)°. Differential Fourier analyses and least-squares refinement led to a final R value of 12.6% for 1814 reflections. The crystal structure analysis showed that individual DABCO ions were not symmetrically positioned between the silicate layers. A network of inorganic cations and water molecules was also present and governed the interlayer separation. At 250°C the d value was 13.7 Å, consistent with a dehydrated structure, in which each organic pillar has one amino group keyed into a ditrigonal cavity and the other amino group riding on the basal oxygens of an opposite tetrahedron.

The capabilities of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), infrared absorption (IR), solid-state magicangle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR), and chemical dissolution methods were assessed for estimating the amount of noncrystalline material in a ground kaolinite. The Georgia kaolinite was ground in a mechanical mortar for various lengths of time to produce a set of ground samples containing different amounts of the resulting noncrystalline material. In the XRD method, the intensities of characteristic reflections at 7.2 and 4.47 Å did not respond proportionally to the amount of crystalline kaolinite. Although a transmission-type X-ray diffraction method using the hk reflection gave a slightly better estimate than the reflection-type X-ray diffraction method using the basal reflection, both methods gave overestimated values for the amount of noncrystalline material. This overestimation may have been caused by a masking effect due to coaggregation. Using the characteristic IR absorption band at 3700 cm-1 underestimated the amount of the noncrystalline material, if the proportion of this material <50%.

Extraction with NaOH gave estimations 15 to 20% greater than extraction with alkaline Tiron, except for the sample ground for 24 hr, for which both extractions indicated the presence of about 50% noncrystalline material. X-ray powder diffraction data of the residues after these extractions indicated that they consisted of crystalline kaolinite. 29Si NMR spectra of samples ground for ≥ 30 hr suggested that SiO4 tetrahedra were considerably distorted.27 Al NMR spectra showed a signal for tetrahedral A1 for the sample ground for 10 hr, which increased with an increase in grinding time. Plots of the Al(IV)/[Al(IV) + Al(VI)] ratios vs. time were similar to those of chemical extraction curves. Inasmuch as extraction with hot 0.5 M NaOH is a rather harsh treatment, the composition of the noncrystalline material must have been similar to that of the crystalline kaolinite. The chemical dissolution using alkaline Tiron appeared to be superior to other methods, such as XRD, IR, and NaOH extraction, for estimating the amount of noncrystalline material in kaolinite.

“Chloritized” vermiculite coexisting with kaolin-group minerals, vermiculite, mica, and gibbsite in the 0.2–0.5-µM fraction separated from a Korean Ultisol was studied by ultramicrotomy and high-resolution electron microscopy. The (001) lattice images observed from thin sections showed that the “chloritized” vermiculite was composed of particles which differed in their shape and the stacking of silicate layers. On saturation with K+, the silicate layers had spacings of 14–10 Å, with 14–12-Å layers being dominant. The 8–7-Å layers of a few particles appeared to be segregated close to the basal plane surfaces, but not necessarily close to the edge surfaces. The silicate layers were more or less curved and wavy and were commonly discontinuous. They formed packets (100–500 Å thick) by stacking, which were associated “face-to-face” and/or “edge-to-edge” or stacked parallel or subparallel to form particles of different shapes. The extent of interlayer collapse of the 14-Å layers on heating differed from one particle to the other, but was fairly uniform within a particle. Treatment with hot 1/3 M sodium citrate dissolved the interlayer material and possibly the material present between the packets from the “chloritized” vermiculite and from a few fine plates of kaolin-group minerals. The interlayer material and its chemical composition, therefore, could not be determined.