A series of hydrothermal experiments were performed to determine the phase relations on the beidellite-saponite pseudo-binary join. Quenched glasses with stoichiometric dehydrated compositions of an Na-rich smectite on the join were heated at 250–500°C for durations of 1–151 d at 100 MPa. Time-temperature diagrams showed that immiscibility occurs between dioctahedral smectite (beidellite) and trioctahedral smectite (saponite) below 400°C. Thus, smectite with intermediate chemical composition was considered as metastable in this system. Above 400°C the assemblage of regularly interstratified saponite-chlorite, quartz, and feldspar was recognized in the intermediate chemical compositional region of this join. On the beidellite side of this join, beidellite and mixed-layer phases of smectite and a regular interstratification of montmorillonite-beidellite, are possible phases that occur at <300°C. They readily reacted to form a mixture of dioctahedral rectorite plus quartz at 300°C. This assemblage then reacted to a dioctahedral “mica”, which can expand with glycol and quartz. On the saponite side of this join, a single phase, saponite, existed at <400°C, and transformed to saponite plus trioctahedral rectorite with aging and increasing temperature of synthesis. The alteration was affected strongly by the chemical composition of the binary system.

Heulandite-group zeolites are abundant in the Miocene pyroclastics from Western Anatolia, Turkey. We investigated the relation between the I(111)/I(3¯11) intensity ratios measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the content of exchangeable cations for 15 samples of natural heulandite-group minerals gathered from the Gördes and Bigadiç regions of Western Anatolia. The intensity ratios range from 0.77 to 0.94 in natural heulandites and from 1.38 to 1.80 in natural clinoptilolites. The data obtained from Na-, K- and Ca-exchanged forms of a heulandite and clinoptilolite show that the intensity ratio increases with Na-, K- and Ca-exchange in heulandite and also with Na- and K-exchange in clinoptilolite, whereas it decreases with Ca-exchange in clinoptilolite. The intensity ratios were calculated using the known structural data of clinoptilolites to understand the effect of positions, amounts and kinds of exchangeable cations and water molecules. An increase in Na and Ca may increase or decrease the intensity ratio, depending on their sites and occupancies. Potassium causes a significant increase in the intensity ratio and an increase in Mg decreases the intensity ratio. There is a strong correlation between the intensity ratio I(111)/I(3¯11) and (Na + K)/(Ca + Mg) ratio and thermal stability, both of which have been used to characterize heulandite-group minerals.

The micropore volumes of 2 montmorillonites (SAz-1 and SWy-1), each exchanged with Ca, Na, K, Cs and tetramethylammonium (TMA) ions, were calculated from the measured vapor adsorption data of N2 and neo-hexane by use of t- and αs-plots. The corresponding surface areas of the exchanged clays were determined from Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) plots of N2 adsorption data. Micropore volumes and surface areas of the samples increased with the size of exchanged cation: TMA > Cs > K > Ca > Na. The SAz-1 exchanged clays showed generally greater micropore volumes and surface areas than the corresponding SWy-1 clays. The vapor adsorption data and d(001) measurements for dry clay samples were used together to evaluate the likely locations and accessibility of clay micropores, especially the relative accessibility of their interlayer spacing. For both source clays exchanged with Na, Ca and K ions, the interlayer spacing appeared to be too small to admit nonpolar gases and the accessible micropores appeared to have dimensions greater than 5.0 Å, the limiting molecular dimension of neo-hexane. In these systems, there was a good consistency of micropore volumes detected by N2 and neo-hexane. When the clays were intercalated with relatively large cations (TMA and possibly Cs), the large layer expansion created additional microporosity, which was more readily accessible to small N2 than to relatively large neo-hexane. Hence, the micropore volume as detected by N2 was greater than that detected by neo-hexane. The micropore volumes with pore dimensions greater than 5 Å determined for clays exchanged with Na, Ca and K likely resulted from the pores on particle edges and void created by overlap regions of layers. The increase in micropore volumes with pore dimensions less than 5 Å determined for clays exchanged with TMA and possibly Cs could be caused by opening of the interlayer region by the intercalation of these large cations.

Refluxing chromium (III) acetate with a Na+-montmorillonite suspension gives rise to the intercalation of linear Cr(III) polyhydroxo-acetate oligomers. Thermally stable chromia pillared mont-morillonite materials are obtained upon calcination under ammonia up to 625°C, and basal expansions up to 6 Å are maintained. The porous materials retain high surface areas (366–464 m2 g−1), a micropore volume of 0.1 cm3 g−1 and narrow pore size distributions centered between 7.5 and 12 Å. The most thermally stable materials in air were those prepared under ammonia at 625°C, containing NH4+ as the exchangeable ion.

In the search for new applications of natural silicates, various F− treatments have been applied to sepiolite to increase its acidic properties and for use as a catalyst in reactions occurring via carbonium ions. Two types of treatments including hydrofluoric acid (HF) at different concentrations and 2 N NH4F have been utilized and the physicochemical characteristics of the resulting materials studied using standard techniques. The X-ray diffractogram (XRD) patterns indicate a decrease in crystallinity of the original material as well as the appearance of amorphous silica. SEM micrographs showed a shortening and aggregation of the sepiolitic fibers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and Hg intrusion were used to study the changes occurring in the structure, surface area and pore distribution of samples and acidity was evaluated by IR and thermoprogrammed desorption (TPD) of adsorbed ammonia and pyridine. It was found that acidity increased in most of the samples after anionic and cationic interchange between the activating agents and the surface sites, or extralattice cations. Additionally, structural changes induced by treatments modified the Brönsted and Lewis acidity. Mild treatments with ammonium fluoride are more effective than HF treatments in acidity generation.

Nacrite crystals from a vug within a matrix of dickite at Red Mountain near Silverton, Colorado, have a = 8.906(2), b = 5.146(1), c = 15.664(3) Å, β = 113.58(3)°, V = 657.9(3) Å3, and space group Cc. The structure was solved by direct methods to determine phase angles, followed by electron density maps to locate all atoms. Refinement by least-squares ceased at R = 4.5%. Each 7 Å layer has structural detail very similar to those of dickite and kaolinite, although nacrite stacking is based on — a/3 interlayer shifts along the 8.9 Å axis (with octahedral cations alternating between the I and II sites in successive layers), whereas dickite and kaolinite are based on shifts of — a/3 along the 5.1 Å axis (with octahedral cations in the same set of sites in each layer). The angle of tetrahedral rotation is 7.8°, and the octahedral counterrotations are 7.6° and 8.1°. The H+ protons were located on DED maps. The inner 0..H1 vector points exactly toward the vacant octahedron and is depressed — 18.6° away from the level of the octahedral cations. All three surface OH groups have 0...H vectors at 50° to 66° to (001), although OH2 may not participate in interlayer hydrogen bonding. All three interlayer OH-H-O contacts are bent to angles between 132° and 141° and form contacts between 2.94 and 3.12 Å. The interlayer separation of 2.915 Å is slightly larger than in dickite, interpreted as due to a less favorable meshing of the oxygen and hydroxyl surfaces in nacrite—a direct consequence of layer shifts along the 8.9 Å axis.

Hydrotalcites of high aluminum content have been synthesized from aluminate liquors of varying composition and activated magnesia obtained by calcination of hydroxide or hydroxycarbonate precursors. Lattice parameter measurements and chemical analyses of 21 synthetic hydrotalcites show that the aluminum substitution $$\left( {\rm{X = \frac{{Al}}{{Al + Mg}}}} \right)$$ for most of the products is about 0.35, which is at the maximum experimentally-observed limit of solid solubility. Pillared hydrotalcites were also prepared by molybdate, Chromate, and silicate anion replacement. A maximum distance of 10.4 Å between the brucite-like layers was observed for the Mo7O246− intercalated material.

Microporous materials, (materials with pore sizes with widths <2 nm) were prepared by pillaring of smectites obtained from different soil deposits. The materials were prepared by intercalation with oligomeric cations of aluminum, which were transformed to aluminum-oxide pillars by calcination. The adsorption of n-hexane in the pillared clays was studied by the determination of heats of adsorption. Heats of adsorption were measured using either a static microcalorimeter or differential scanning calorim-etry coupled with thermogravimetry (TG-DSC). In this latter case, two different procedures were used that differ on the introduction of the (n-hexane) molecules that are to be adsorbed. The results obtained by the (standard) static microcalorimeter method and the TG-DSC method were compared. This comparison showed the heats of adsorption obtained by TG-DSC are differential heats of adsorption, and it showed the range of adsorption. Characterizing the texture of pillared clays, especially microporosity, is important for monitoring the intercalation process and for determining potential applications of these materials. Correlations between the obtained heats of adsorption and the dimensions of micropores suggest that TG-DSC is a semi-quantitative method for characterizing micropores in aluminum-pillared clays.

Chemical analysis is an essential step to establish the nature of minerals (Newman, 1987). The techniques used in rock and mineral analyses are generally valid for the analyses of clays. Additional information from other analytical techniques, which are mentioned here, is needed for accurate interpretation of the chemical analysis results of major elements (Gabis, 1979). In traditional chemical analyses, the aim is to obtain accurate analyses for all elements present in the sample, in such a way that the sum of elements expressed as oxides, including hydration and structural water, approaches the sample weight as closely as possible.

Scholars have not yet explored the relationship between community social capital and self-rated health (SRH) among older adults in China in depth, including potential moderators in this relationship. In response to this gap, this study aimed to investigate the association between community social capital and SRH among urban Chinese older adults and the moderating roles of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and smoking. We used a quota sampling method to recruit 800 respondents aged 60 years and older from 20 communities in Shijiazhuang and Tianjin, China. SRH was used as the dependent variable. Binary logistic regression models with interaction terms were used to analyse the data. The results showed that trust (a cognitive social capital indicator), volunteering (a structural social capital indicator) and family social capital were significantly associated with SRH when controlling for other social capital indicators and covariates. Difficulties with IADL and smoking significantly moderated the association between community social capital and SRH. Cognitive social capital was only positively associated with SRH health among respondents who did not experience difficulty with IADLs. The positive association between citizenship activities and SRH was only significant among those who experienced difficulty with IADLs. The number of organisational memberships was negatively associated with SRH among respondents with a history of smoking. Volunteering was positively associated with SRH in respondents with a history of smoking. These findings highlight the important role of social capital in promoting SRH among older adults in urban areas of China and notably identify within-population heterogeneity in the associations between social capital and SRH. This study offers insights useful for developing social capital policies and interventions to meet the specific social needs of older adults with varied levels of difficulty with IADLs and health behaviours.

Kaolinite was hydrothermally synthesized from two kinds of silica-alumina gels to examine the effect of the structure of the starting material. Two kinds of gels were prepared by precipitation at different pH conditions (pH = 9.6 and 4.2) from solutions containing water glass and aluminum sulfate. Na ions in the gels were removed with a resin before the hydrothermal treatment, but a slight amount of sulfate ions was still present in the gels. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the starting gels suggested that the gel prepared at pH 9.6 consists of networks with alternating SiO4- and A1O4-tetrahedra (partially AlO6-octahedra), whereas the gel prepared at pH 4.2 consists of a sheet structure related to allophane. After the hydrothermal treatment at 220°C for 9 days, kaolinite particles with spherical shape were obtained from the former gel, and platy kaolinite was crystallized from the latter one. The difference in morphology of synthetic kaolinite was attributable to the structures of the starting gels, and the pH values in the hydrothermal reactions were not very significant to the morphology.

The deintercalation of a low-defect kaolinite intercalated with hydrazine was studied by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT), and Raman microscopy over 30 d. X-ray diffraction showed that the kaolinite was fully intercalated. More than 120 h were required for the hydrazine-intercalate to decompose. The Raman spectra of the hydrazine intercalate showed only a single band at 3620 cm−1, which was attributed to the innerhydroxyl group. Upon deintercalation, additional Raman bands were observed at 3626 and 3613 cm−1. These bands decreased in intensity with further deintercalation. As deintercalation proceeded, the bands assigned to the inner-surface hydroxyl groups at 3695, 3682, 3670, and 3650 cm−1 occurred and increased in intensity. DRIFT spectra showed two bands at 3620 and 3626 cm−1 for the fully intercalated kaolinite only. Upon deintercalation, an additional band assigned to intercalated water was observed at 3599 cm−1 and increased in intensity at the expense of the 3626-cm−1 band. Bands attributed to the innersurface hydroxyl groups increased in intensity with deintercalation. Both the Raman and DRIFT spectra showed complexity in the NH-stretching region with two sets of NH-symmetric and antisymmetric stretching bands. Deintercalation was followed by the loss of intensity of these bands. Significant changes were also observed in the hydroxyl deformation and water-bending modes as a result of deintercalation. A model of hydrazine intercalation of kaolinite based on the insertion of a hydrazine-water unit is proposed. The hydrated end of the hydrazine molecule hydrogen bonds with the innersurface hydroxyl groups resulting in the formation of a band at 3626 cm−1 in the DRIFT spectra.

This retrospective cohort study examined prosocial skills development in child welfare-involved children, how intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure explained heterogeneity in children’s trajectories of prosocial skill development, and the degree to which protective factors across children’s ecologies promoted prosocial skill development. Data were from 1,678 children from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being I, collected between 1999 and 2007. Cohort-sequential growth mixture models were estimated to identify patterns of prosocial skill development between the ages of 3 to 10 years. Four diverse pathways were identified, including two groups that started high (high subtle-decreasing; high decreasing-to-increasing) and two groups that started low (low stable; low increasing-to-decreasing). Children with prior history of child welfare involvement, preschool-age IPV exposure, school-age IPV exposure, or family income below the federal poverty level had higher odds of being in the high decreasing-to-increasing group compared with the high subtle-decreasing group. Children with a mother with greater than high school education or higher maternal responsiveness had higher odds of being in the low increasing-to-decreasing group compared with the low stable group. The importance of maternal responsiveness in fostering prosocial skill development underlines the need for further assessment and intervention. Recommendations for clinical assessment and parenting programs are provided.

The retention of hazardous species, including many of the lanthanides, on soils and sediments is vital for maintaining environmental quality. In this study, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) was used to identify surface precipitates of La and their degree of atomic ordering on oxides of Mn (birnessite), Fe (goethite) and Ti (rutile) over a pH range of 3 to 8. At pH >5.5, the aqueous concentration of La was fully depleted by all three metal-oxides. On birnessite, surface precipitation of La-hydroxide occurred at pH = 5 and appears to be the dominant sorption mechanism on this mineral. Surface precipitation was not observed on rutile or goethite until much higher pH values, 6.5 for rutile and 8.0 for goethite. Precipitation is thus correlated with the points of zero charge (PZC) of the minerals, 6.3 for rutile and 7.8 for goethite, and in each case was observed only at pH values above the PZC. Although La sorption was extensive on all of the minerals at the higher pHs, the depletion of La from solution by rutile and goethite at pH values well below the PZC indicates that the sorption mechanism differs from that on birnessite. While surface precipitation was found to be the dominant sorption mechanism of La on birnessite, surface complexation of monomelic or small multinuclear species appears to predominate in La retention on rutile and goethite at most commonly encountered pH values.

Altered perthites from a weathered pegmatite in the Spruce Pine District, North Carolina, were characterized by electron microprobe as a K-rich microcline host with lesser Na-rich plagioclase having a lamellar morphology. Light-optical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show microtextural elements such as phase boundaries, holes and microfractures that could serve as potential nucleation sites for alteration to clay minerals.

The host microcline contains albite and pericline twinning textures that vary in character; the amount of each twinning type and/or the size of twin individuals changes on a μm scale. Plagioclase ranges from large lamellar vein and film albite (visible in the light microscope) to cryptoperthite whose size ranges from μm to perhaps 100 Å. The smallest-scale albite appears to be a late-stage phase of exsolution in which lamellae have nucleated heterogeneously on albite-twin composition planes in the microcline.

Alteration is concentrated in vein and film albite, especially along grain boundaries with microcline. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of intensely altered pegmatite show halloysite. Holes, microfractures, vein albite/host microcline boundaries and microcline/halloysite boundaries trend parallel to the traces of (010) and {110}, suggesting that these directions are pathways along which fluids migrate. Cleavage and microfractures occur along, and holes are bounded by, these directions. Holes are associated with dislocations and the latter are observed at feldspar/clay boundaries. Twin domains and cryptoperthitic albite are less susceptible to alteration than coarse lamellar albite and regions containing negative crystals and microfractures. However, microtextures in some areas containing halloysite suggest that once fluids penetrate the crystal, alteration may proceed preferentially in more strongly twinned regions.

The persistence of many seemingly metastable mineral assemblages in sediments and soils is commonly attributed to their sluggish transformation to the stable-phase assemblage. Although undoubtedly kinetics plays a major role, this study shows that thermodynamic factors, particularly surface energy, significantly influence the free energy. Enthalpies of formation of boehmite samples with variable surface area were derived using high-temperature oxide-melt calorimetry. The average surface enthalpy for all faces terminating boehmite particles was calculated at +0.52 ± 0.12 J/m2. This value represents the surface enthalpy for surfaces exposed to vacuum assuming that H2O adsorbed on the surface of boehmite is loosely bound. These results show that the enthalpy of formation of boehmite may vary by ≤8 kJ/mol as a function of particle size. An overview of published values of surface energies of gibbsite, γ-Al2O3, corundum, and the results here indicates that the hydrated phases (boehmite, gibbsite) have lower surface energies than the anhydrous phases (corundum, γ-Al2O3). Lower surface energies allow the hydrated phases to maintain high surface area, i.e., small particle size. Similar surface energies of boehmite and gibbsite suggest kinetic control favoring the crystallization of boehmite or gibbsite from aqueous solution. The enthalpy of formation of bulk boehmite from the elements was calculated at −994.0 ±1.1 kJ/mol. Combining this result with the data in existing thermodynamic databases, we confirm that bulk boehmite is metastable with respect to bulk diaspore at ambient conditions.

A new, well-ordered, thermally robust ethylene glycol intercalate of kaolinite was formed by refluxing the dimethyl sulfoxide intercalate of kaolinite (Kao-DMSO) with dry ethylene glycol (EG). This new phase (Kao-EG 9.4 Å) which is characterized by a d001 of 9.4 Å is distinct from a previously reported ethylene glycol intercalated phase of kaolinite (Kao-EG 10.8 Å) which has a d001 of 10.8 Å. The characterization of these two phases was studied by XRD, NMR, FTIR, and TGA/DSC. It was found that the concentration of water in the ethylene glycol reaction media played a crucial role in governing which of the phases predominated. Water favored Kao-EG 10.8 Å formation, while anhydrous conditions favored the formation of Kao-EG 9.4 Å. It is hypothesized that Kao-EG 9.4 Å is a grafted phase resulting from the product of the condensation reaction between an aluminol group on the interlamenar surface of kaolinite and the alcohol group of ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol units would be attached to the interlamellar surface of kaolinite via Al-O-C bonds. The Kao-EG 9.4 Å phase was found to be resistant to both thermal decomposition up to 330°C and also, once formed, in the absence of interlamellar water molecules, to decomposition by hydrolysis in refluxing water.

The gold decoration technique of electron microscopy was used to observe the microtopography of natural (001) surfaces of 1:1 regularly-interstratified mica/smectite minerals (expandable layer: 40–45%) collected from four different pyrophyllite deposits in Japan. The specimens are characterized by parallel growth steps of malformed, circular or polygonal forms with varying step separations. Many particles exhibit paired steps that seem to show spiral growth. Microtopographic observations suggest that the growth of regular interstratification (at least for the specimens investigated in this study) normally takes place by an interlacing of paired steps. If the height of a single step corresponds to that of a mica or a smectite layer, the particles are estimated to be normally 40–300 Å in thickness. If the particles on which a spiral center is observed are single crystals of interstratified mica and smectite, then some crystals investigated in this study are far thicker than fundamental particles. The results of this study are interpreted to suggest that these regularly-interstratified mica/smectites were formed by hydrothermal metasomatism from their respective host rocks.

Despite substantial scientific research efforts, accurate determination of the petrophysical effects of clay minerals on reservoir sands remains problematic. Diagenetic clays such as smectite and illite are of particular interest because of the pronounced effects these clays can have on reservoir quality. Here, results are reported from an experimental study based on the hydrothermal growth of smectite in synthetic sands. The sands contained quartz, dolomite and kaolinite, and were reacted at 175–200°C, for 19–45 d. The hydrothermal reaction can be written as follows:

$$dolomite + kaolinite + quartz \to smectite + calcite + CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>$$