Various size fractions of several samples of glauconitic clay and illite were heated stepwise under vacuum for extended periods to: 1) evaluate radiogenic-argon (Ar) yields in relation to composition and size range; and 2) investigate the kinetics of radiogenic-Ar release. Each sample was heated at 250, 375, 500 and 1000 °C.

The radiogenic-Ar release patterns are nearly the same for the various size fractions of each sample. The Ar yields are not functions of particle size, at least not in these size ranges. This observation suggests that the kinetics of radiogenic-Ar release from these materials under these experimental conditions may be controlled by some mechanism other than diffusion.

The experiments show distinct differences in yield of radiogenic Ar from glauconitic clay and illite, which were most evident in the 375 and 500 °C steps. The yield (relative to the total amount of radiogenic Ar in the sample) at a particular temperature is inversely related to potassium (K) content, and there appears to be a direct dependence of yield on the iron (Fe) content. Because the literature provides evidence that Ar release during heating of phyllosilicates under vacuum is controlled by dehydroxylation and also provides evidence that dehydroxylation of clay may follow first-order kinetics, the kinetic data on Ar release from these samples were compared to simulated first-order reactions. To match the obser- vational data requires more than 2 activation energies in each simulation, which is consistent with the known mineralogical heterogeneity of such samples.

The present paper represents an extension of recent work that considered the partitioning response of binary solvents placed into contact with charged, expandable clays. Previous theoretical work yielded a model of partitioning by performing a thermodynamic analysis, involving the work of polarization, on a binary solvent, treated as a continuum and residing within the interlayer space of a layered aluminosilicate clay. Partitioning, or the tendency for sorbed and bulk phases to have different compositions, was shown to be sensitive to the dielectric properties of the 2 solvents of the binary mixture and to the surface charge density on the clay, among other factors. Although previous experimental work has helped to validate the theory, additional work is reported here that looks at hysteresis effects, the role of the exchangeable cation (usually organic), the prediction of adsorption isotherms and the contribution that partitioning, or sorption, makes to the disjoining pressure that develops in binary solvent systems. In this current study, 3 different organo-clays were considered: Cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA), Isopropanolammonium (IPA), and Benzylammonium (BA) montmorillonite. Solvent systems under study included: acetone/chloroform (a-c), acetone/quadricyclane (a-q) and acetonitrile/chloroform (an-c). While partitioning of the a-c system on CTMA-clay follows theory quite well, theory tends to over-predict partitioning for the a-q system on the same clay and under-predict partitioning for the an-c system on all clays. Predicted adsorption isotherms range from highly nonlinear to nearly linear. Finally, the delamination and subsequent swelling processes of BA-clay in a water/acetonitrile binary solvent system are very sensitive to composition, a result that is directly linked to the partitioning process.

Redox and acid-base reactions play important roles in the fate of metal contaminants in soils and sediments. The presence of significant amounts of Cr, Pb and other toxic heavy metals in contaminated soils and sediments is of great environmental concern. Oxidation states and dissolution characteristics of the heavy metals can exert negative effects on the natural environment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to follow the changes in morphology and structure of reaction products of Cr and Pb formed on mineral surfaces. Nitrate salts of Cr(III) and Pb(II) were used to replace the native exchangeable cations on muscovite and smectite surfaces and the metal-mineral systems were then reacted at different pH's and redox conditions.

For Pb, aggregate morphological forms were found at pH 6.1 and 12.4. At pH 6.1, the mean roughness value was 0.70 nm, and at pH 12.4 it was 5.30 nm. The fractal dimensions were 2.03 at pH 6.1 and 2.05 at pH 12.4. For Cr(III), both layered and aggregate morphological forms were found at pH 6.8 and 10.8. The mean roughness values were 0.90 nm at pH 6.8 and 4.3 nm at pH 10.8. Fractal dimensions for both were 2.00. The effect of redox conditions on morphological characteristics was studied on a smectite substrate. The reduced clays were more compacted than oxidized ones and the reduced clay could reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III), forming new minerals on the surfaces.

A geochemical equilibrium model, MINTEQA2, was used to simulate the experimental conditions and predict possible reaction products. Simulation results agreed well with data from experiments, providing evidence that modeling can provide a useful “reality check” for such studies. Together, MINTEQA2 and AFM can provide important information for evaluating the morphologies and chemical reactivities of metal reaction products formed on phyllosilicate surfaces under varying environmental conditions.

The structure of a highly disordered synthetic birnessite was studied by comparing powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data with calculated patterns generated by BIRNDIF and WILDFIRE© in an attempt to describe the nature of disorder and to estimate the size of the coherent diffracting domains. The material has a turbostratic stacking sequence and coherent diffracting domains that are 25 to 30 Å on a side in the ab plane (N1 = 5 unit cells, N2 = 10 unit cells) and which average 2.5 unit cells thick parallel to c. Turbostratic stacking probably results because there are few constraints on the relationship between adjacent layers.

The in-depth perturbation of vicinal water by the surfaces of montmorillonite layers was investigated by relating the swelling pressure, Π, of the montmorillonite layers to the H-O-H bending frequency, ν2, of the interlayer water. For this purpose, an oriented montmorillonite gel was deposited on a porous filter in an environmental chamber. On its underside the filter was in contact with a solution maintained at atmospheric pressure. By admitting nitrogen gas at a known pressure to the environmental chamber, water was squeezed from the gel into the solution until equilibrium was reached and Π equalled the applied pressure. Then the gel was divided into 2 parts. One part was used for the gravimetric determination of the water content, mw/mc. It was possible, therefore, to determine mw/mc as a function of Π. The other part of the sample was transferred to an FTIR spectrometer where the ν2 of the water within it was measured by attenuated total reflectance. Thus, the same samples were used to determine the dependence of both Π and ν2 on mw/mc. It was found that Π and ν2 were both exponential functions of mc/mw and so a linear relation was found between ln(Π + 1) and ln(ν2/ν2°), where ν2° is the H-O-H bending frequency of bulk water. These results strongly support the conclusion that the in-depth perturbation of the water by the surfaces of the montmorillonite layers is primarily responsible for both the development of Π and the departure of ν2 from ν2°.

Adsorption of Co2+ nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and equal-molar Co2+ and NTA by a low surface area (LSA) commercial gibbsite (3.5 m2 g−1) was investigated in batch as a function of pH (4.5 to 10.5), adsorbate (0.5 to 10 µM) and adsorbent (0.5 to 75 g L−1) concentrations and ionic strength (0.01 to 1 M NaClO4). The adsorption of Co2+ (Co-only) and the acid form of NTA (NTA-only) by gibbsite in 0.01 M NaClO4 exhibit cation-like and anion-like adsorption edges, respectively. For the equal-molar CoNTA chelate, Co and NTA adsorption edges were similar but not identical to the Co-only and NTA-only edges. Differences suggest the existence of a ternary CoNTA surface complex with the Co in the intact chelate coordinated to surface hydroxyls. NTA-only adsorption was insensitive to ionic strength variation, indicating weak electrostatic contributions to surface coordination reactions. This is consistent with the formation of inner-sphere surface NTA complexes and ligand exchange reactions in which monodentate, bidentate and binuclear NTA surface complexes form. Cobalt adsorption increases (edge shifts to lower pH by 1 pH unit) on LSA gibbsite as ionic strength increases from 0.01 to 1 M NaClO4. For the same ionic strength change, a similar shift in the Co-only edge was observed for another commercial gibbsite (16.8 m2 g−1); however, no change was observed for δ-Al2O3. Ionic strength shifts in Co2+ adsorption by gibbsite were described as an outer-sphere CoOH+ surface complex using the triple-layer model. Results suggest that, at waste disposal sites where 60Co and NTA have been co-disposed, NTA will not promote ligand-like adsorption of Co for acid conditions, but will reduce cation-like adsorption for basic conditions. Thus, where gibbsite is the dominant mineral sorbent, NTA will not alter 60Co mobility in acidic pore waters and groundwaters; however, NTA could enhance 60Co mobility where alkaline conditions prevail, unless microbial degradation of the NTA occurs.

The technique of scanning force microscopy (SFM) was used to study the nanometer-scale structure of Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite thin films. Supporting data were also obtained from Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The surfaces studied included pure Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite, Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite exposed to benzene and Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite exposed to aniline. SFM images of the unexposed Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite surface revealed a smooth surface composed of interlocking platelets. The lateral dimension of these platelets ranged from a few nm to about 1 μm. After exposure to refluxing benzene, the SFM showed that the platelets underwent vertical shifts in position. This is believed to have occurred from intercalated benzene that polymerized in the interlayer region. No SFM evidence was obtained for benzene polymerization on the surface of the hectorite. Hectorite films exposed to aniline at room temperature revealed a post-polymerization structure on the hectorite surface consisting of small polymer bundles. The diameter of these bundles was measured to be 300–3000 Å, similar to the structure seen on electropolymerized polyaniline films. Aniline polymerized on the surface of hectorite films at 180 °C revealed a structure similar to undoped n-methyl-pyrrolidinone (NMP) cast polyaniline films. In this case, the polymer bundles are only 300 Å in dimension on average. XRD and ESR data also indicated interlayer aniline polymerization in Cu(II) exchanged hectorite. Mechanistic considerations affecting these polymerization reactions are presented.

Ce/Al- and La/Al-pillared smectites were prepared by cation exchange of bentonite, saponite and laponite with hydrothermally treated (130–160 °C for 16–136 h) solutions containing mixtures of aluminumchlorohydrate (ACH) and Ce3+-/and La3+-salts. After calcination at 500 °C, the pillared products are characterized by basal spacings between 24.8 and 25.7 Å and surface areas of approximately 430 m2 g−1. The products are hydrothermally stable at 500 °C after 2 h in steam. The large basal spacings are due to the formation of a large Ce/La-bearing Al-polyoxocation, whose formation is favored by initially high Al concentrations ≥3.7 M and an OH/Al molar ratio of approximately 2.5. The Ce/Al or La/Al molar ratios can be as low as 1/30. 27Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has shown that the polyoxocation has a higher Altetrahedral/Aloctahedral ratio than the Keggin structure Al13, which may partly explain the higher stability compared to normal Al-pillared clays. Hydroconversion of n-heptane indicated that the activity of the Pt-loaded pillared products is higher than that of a conventional Pt-loaded amorphous silica-alumina catalyst. Selectivity is strongly dependent on the type of starting clay and its acidity. In industrial hydrocracking of normal feedstock, a Ni/W-loaded Ce/Al-pillared bentonite catalyst showed rapid deactivation due to coke-formation reducing the surface area and the pore volume. Additionally, coke-formation is facilitated by the relatively high iron content of the pillared bentonite (3.43 wt% Fe2O3).

The effect of heat treatments on the swelling, dispersion, particle charge and particle aggregation of Li-, Na-, K-, Mg-, Ca- and Al-Wyoming bentonite was investigated. Before thermal treatment, unheated (25 °C) Li-, Na- and K-clays showed increased d001 spacing on glycerol solvation and dispersed spontaneously in water. Mg-, Ca- and Al-clays did not disperse spontaneously in water, but the d001 spacing increased upon glycerol solvation. After heating at 300 °C or above, none of these clays dispersed spontaneously. However, swelling varied with the type of cation and the temperature of heating.

The results generally suggested that swelling and dispersion of homoionic Wyoming bentonite after heating at various temperatures depended upon the nature of bonding between clay particles and the cations. Enhanced swelling and dispersion of clays indicated the more ionic character of the cationic bonding than cases where heating resulted only in swelling, with polar covalent bonding of cations to clay surfaces allowing limited hydration. It is also suggested that, when both swelling and dispersion as a result of thermal treatment are absent, a covalent bond is formed between cation and clay surface.

Thermal treatment apparently affects the bonding in different ways. It appears that the smaller cations (ionic radius <0.7 Å) Li, Mg and Al migrate to octahedral vacant sites and form covalent bonds after heating at 400 °C; this drastically reduces the negative charge. This process for Li-clays occurred even at 200 °C. The larger cations (ionic radius > 0.9 Å) Na, K and Ca apparently did not migrate into the lattice sites after heating to 400 °C; a high proportion of them were exchangeable. The data for exchangeable cation, particle charge and clay particle size were consistent with the postulated effect of the nature of cationic bonding upon swelling and dispersion properties.

Fine clays (<0.1 μm) extracted from an acid soil developed in a granite saprolite from the Massif Central, France, were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) using a curve decomposition program, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) associated with a method of impregnation of moist samples. Direct measurement of d-spacings were performed on HRTEM photographs. Decomposition of XRD patterns indicated 5 to 6 different clay phases including chlorite (and/or hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite), vermiculite/smectite, illite/vermiculite and illite/smectite mixed layers. Expandable phases with decreasing layer charge (vermiculite, high- and low-charge smectite) were shown in the clay assemblage. When performed on K-saturated samples subjected to wetting and drying cycles, HRTEM observations were consistent with the XRD results. The major clay mineral phases identified by the decomposition of XRD patterns were also found by direct measurement of d-spacings on HRTEM images. Vermiculite and high-charge smectite appeared to be impregnated with preservation of their initial hydration state, whereas low-charge smectite interlayers were penetrated by the resin molecules during the impregnation procedure. It was concluded that the decomposition of XRD patterns gave a realistic analysis of the clay phases present in a complex soil clay sample, as well as the direct measurement of a limited number (50) of clay crystals on HRTEM images.

Formation of Fe-coatings or segregation at the expense of quartz grains is a common process in the tropical environment. Limited information is available about their internal structure at the submicroscopic level. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microprobe analyses (EDXRMA) techniques were used to identify the nature and arrangement of fundamental mineral particles within the Fe-coatings. Chemical and mineralogical studies showed that the coatings were composed of well-crystallized Fe-oxides, quartz and kaolinite. The EDXRMA analyses revealed the presence of linear concentrations (laminae) of nearly pure Fe oxide along the edges and the contact zone with quartz and within the coatings. Similar atomic proportions of Al and Si in several areas within the interior regions of coatings and the XRD pattern of the crushed coatings are supportive evidence for the presence of kaolinite. Under the TEM, the dense laminae (< 10 μm thick) consisted of elongated Fe-oxide particles (< 1.5 μm long and 0.2 μm thick) accommodated in subparallel arrangement. The interior areas had very high porosity and, in addition to Fe-oxides, contained other minerals: mainly kaolinite, quartz and isolated areas of Al-oxides. High amounts of ultramicroscopic pores (<0.5 μm) in the interior region suggested that dissolution of Fe-oxides occurred under reduced conditions, with subsequent reprecipitation of pure Fe-oxides in the laminae. Very low porosity and parallel arrangement of Fe-oxide particles (laminae) provided new surfaces (barrier) for Fe-accumulation when soil solutions provided new influxes of iron, thereby creating a thicker Fe-coating. The size and geometry of the ultramicroporosity were shown to play a significant role in the dissolution and precipitation of soil minerals, especially those involved in redox reactions.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of small quantities of clay mounted on glass slides using conventional Bragg-Brentano geometry generally produces unsatisfactory low-intensity reflections masked by amorphous substrate scatter. Glancing-incidence asymmetric Bragg diffraction, an alternative uncoupled geometry, uses a fixed low-incidence angle and parallel-beam optics to increase path length through the sample and decrease X-ray penetration into the substrate. To evaluate this technique on thin soil clay films, results from conventional Bragg-Brentano and glancing-incidence diffraction (GID) were compared for progressively diluted clay suspensions separated from 2 southeastern soils with typical mineral assemblages. Patterns produced by GID showed overall higher reflection intensities and reduced substrate scatter, especially at higher 2θ angles within the amorphous glass region. Using GID, positive identification of clay minerals was obtained from sample quantities as small as 0.005 mg cm−2 and suspensions as dilute as 29 mg L−1.

The K-Ar systematics of illite/smectite (I/S) mixed layers in deeply buried shales from the Gulf Coast, the North Sea and the Mahakam Delta basins have been compared to provide additional perspectives on the diagenetic evolution of these minerals. Comparison of the results suggests that illitization proceeds similarly in the 3 basins, at least for the increase in the illite-layer and K contents, despite differences in the provenance of the detrital components, the ages of deposition, the depths of burial and the tectonic history of the basins. Analysis of the trends with depth in the illite-layer and K contents of I/S-enriched size fractions of shales in the North Sea and the Mahakam Delta basins shows that these trends represent segments of the more complete trends from I/S minerals of the Gulf Coast area.

The trends with depth in the radiogenic 40Ar contents and in the K-Ar ages of the I/S-rich fractions in the North Sea and Mahakam Delta basins suggest that, relative to the reference trends of the Gulf Coast area, the K-Ar system of the clay material is more dependent on the behavior of the radiogenic 40Ar than on the occurrence or non-occurrence of detrital grains in the size fractions. Recasting of the available data suggests that retention of radiogenic 40Ar by the illite-type minerals occurs in the intense illitization zone and release occurs in the deeper part of the basins. We therefore speculate that the illitization process of the I/S mixed layers of progressively buried shale-type sediments could be controlled by a transformation process integrating dissolution of detrital components in poral rock environments relatively impermeable to radiogenic 40Ar. These excesses, which might be partly or completely erased in deeper parts of the sedimentary basins, question the application of the K-Ar dating method on clay minerals extracted from shales.

A well-characterized kaolinite has been hydrated in order to test the hypothesis that platey kaolinite will roll upon hydration. Kaolinite hydrates are prepared by repeated intercalation of kaolinite with potassium acetate and subsequent washing with water. On hydration, kaolinite plates roll along the major crystallographic directions to form tubes identical to proper tubular halloysite. Most tubes are elongated along the b crystallographic axis, while some are elongated along the a axis. Overall, the tubes exhibit a range of crystallinity. Well-ordered examples show a 2-layer structure, while poorly ordered tubes show little or no 3-dimensional order. Cross-sectional views of the formed tubes show both smoothly curved layers and planar faces. These characteristics of the experimentally formed tubes are shared by natural halloysites. Therefore, it is proposed that planar kaolinite can transform to tubular halloysite.

Illite polytype quantification allows the differentiation of diagenetic and detrital illite components. In Paleozoic shales from the Illinois Basin, we observe 3 polytypes: 1Md, 1M and 2M1. 1Md and 1M are of diagenetic origin and 2M1 is of detrital origin. In this paper, we compare experimental X-ray diffraction (XRD) traces with traces calculated using WILDFIRE© and quantify mixtures of all 3 polytypes, adjusting the effects of preferred orientation and overlapping peaks. The broad intensity (“illite hump”) around the illite 003, which is very common in illite from shales, is caused by the presence of 1Md illite and mixing of illite polytypes and is not an artifact of sample preparation or other impurities in the sample. Illite polytype quantification provides a tool to extrapolate the K/Ar age and chemistry of the detrital and diagenetic end-members by analysis of different size fractions containing different proportions of diagenetic and detrital illite polytypes.

Members of an alunite-natroalunite solid solution series occur in intimate association with hydrated halloysite in deposits within caves of the Guadalupe Mountains, namely Carlsbad Cavern and Lechuguilla Cave. The alunite and natroalunite crystals consist of cube-like rhombs; crystal diameters range from 0.5 to 8 µm. This mineral association is found in sediments within bedrock pockets, solution cavity fills, floor deposits and wall residues. Sulfur stable isotope values (δ34S, CTD) for cave alunite and natroalunite are negative [+0.1 to −28.9 per mill (‰); n = 12 and mean = 16.8‰] and are comparable to the cave gypsum and native sulfur values reported by other investigators. The association of alunite/natroalunite with hydrated halloysite in these cave deposits suggests that the cave-forming waters contained significant concentrations of sulfuric acid. Formation of these minerals is related to the excavation of the carbonate rocks that formed Carlsbad Cavern, Lechuguilla Cave and other caves of the Guadalupe Mountains. The sulfuric acid-bearing waters, when exposed to clay-rich sediments, converted clay minerals and quartz to alunite/natroalunite and hydrated halloysite.