The weathering of chlorite, one of the major minerals of the host rock in the uranium ore deposit at Koongarra, Australia, was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron microprobe analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The conversion sequence of chlorite weathering is: (1) chlorite; (2) chlorite/vermiculite intergrade (showing XRD responses to various treatments intermediate between those of chlorite and vermiculite); (3) interstratified chlorite and vermiculite; (4) vermiculite; and (5) kaolinite. This sequence may be more simply expressed as chlorite ⤒ vermiculite ⤒ kaolinite. The weathering finally changed chlorite into sub-micrometer to micrometer sized Fe minerals and kaolinite. The transformation of chlorite to vermiculite is chemically characterized by an Fe and Mg loss with a slight decrease in the Al/Si ratio. Mg continues to be released throughout the weathering. Fe minerals formed through chlorite weathering are located between chlorite and vermiculite domains (a few μm in size) at first, and then accumulated between grain boundaries, occasionally forming veins. The distribution of Fe minerals is suggestive of preferential pathways of water movement. The time-dependent nature of mineral alteration demonstrated in the present study must be taken into account for the quantitative estimation of radionuclide migration.

The structure of a disordered IIb Mg-chamosite was studied using Rietveld refinement techniques and powder X-ray diffraction (CuKα, 18–120° 2θ in 0.02° 2θ increments). The refinement in space group CĪ yielded high precision lattice parameters (a = 5.36982(5)Å, b = 9.3031(9)Å, c = 14.2610(6)Å, α = 90.315(5)°, β = 97.234(7)°, γ = 90.022(9)°) and atomic coordinates very similar to previous studies. However, the presence of semi-random stacking in this specimen created a situation in which not all atoms could be precisely located: the positions of the octahedral cations and anions which repeat at intervals of ±b/3 could be uniquely determined in three dimensions whereas only the z parameter of the other atoms could be refined. The reasonable appearance of the final model, despite the fact that many of the atom positions could be located in only one dimension, may have resulted because all of the atoms in this structure except O(5) repeat at intervals which are very nearly ±b/3.

Two ferriphlogopite-1M crystals with a composition (K0.99Na0.01)Σ=1.00(Mg2.73Fe2+0.17Fe3+0.08-Ti0.01)Σ=2.299[(Fe3+0.95Si3.05)Σ=4.00O10.17](OH)1.79F0.04 (sample S1) and (K1.02)Σ=1.02(Mg2.68Fe2+0.20Fe3+0.11-Mn0.01)Σ=3.00[(Fe3+0.95Si3.05)Σ=4.00O10.18](OH)1.75F0.07 (sample S2) occur within an alkali-carbonatic complex near Tapira, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Each crystal was studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The least-squares refinements of space group C2/m resulted in R values of 0.031 for S1 and 0.025 for S2. Results showed that Fe3+ substitutes for Si within the tetrahedral sites and that the Fe distribution is fully disordered. The octahedral sites are preferentially occupied by Mg. The presence of Fe3+ within the tetrahedral sheet produces increased cell edge lengths. For sample S1, a = 5.362 Å, b = 9.288 Å, c = 10.321 Å and the monoclinic β angle was: β = 99.99°. For sample S2, a = 5.3649 Å, b = 9.2924 Å, c = 10.3255 Å and the monoclinic β angle was: β = 99.988°. The tetrahedral rotation angle of α = 11.5° is necessary for tetrahedral and octahedral sheet congruency. The enlarged tetrahedral sites are regular, with cations close to their geometric center. Ferriphlogopites have identical mean bond lengths for M1 and M2 sites within standard deviation. The M1-O3 and M2-O3 bond lengths are longer than the mean so that O3 may articulate with the tetrahedra.

Layered double hydroxides (LDH's) interlayered with silicate anions were prepared by reaction of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with synthetic meixnerite-like precursors of the type [Mg1−xAlx(OH)2][OH−]x·zH2O, where (1 − x)/x ≈ 2, 3, or 4. TEOS hydrolysis at ambient temperature occurred readily in the galleries of the hydroxide precursors with (1 − x)/x ≈ 3 or 4, but a temperature of ∼100°C was required to achieve silicate intercalation for the LDH composition with (1 − x)/x ≈ 2. On the basis of the observed gallery heights (∼7.0−∼7.2 Å) and 29Si MAS NMR spectra that indicated the presence of Q2, Q3, and Q4SiO4 sites, the intercalated silicate anions, which are formed by condensation reactions of silanol groups and partial neutralization of SiOH groups with gallery hydroxide ions, are assigned short chain structures. Also, some O3SiOH groups become grafted to the LDH layers by condensation with MOH groups on the gallery surfaces. The LDH-silicates exhibited comparable non-microporous N2 BET surface areas in the range 59–85 m2/g, but they differed substantially in acid/base reactivities, as judged by their relative activities for the catalytic dehydration/disproportionation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBOH). Under reaction conditions where the LDH structure is retained (150°C), all the silicate intercalates showed mainly basic reactivities for the disproportionation of MBOH to acetone and acetylene. However, all the LDH silicates were less reactive than the corresponding LDH carbonates. Conversion of the LDH silicates to metal oxides at 450°C introduced acidic activity for MBOH dehydration, whereas the metal oxides formed by LDH carbonate decomposition were exclusivity basic under analogous conditions.

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.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with X-ray diffractometry and thermal methods were used to determine the coordination of residual exchangeable Mn(II) in an untreated sample of Wyoming montmorillonite. At room temperature, Mn(II) in a single-layer-hydrate interlayer was proposed to be coordinated directly with oxygen ions of the siloxane surface on one layer and to form water bridges to the oxygens on the siloxane surface of the opposite layer. Dehydration and collapse of the interlayer entrapped and thereby stabilized the partially solvated Mn(II) up to 600°C. A change to Mn(II) in highly symmetric coordination occurred during dehydroxylation of the montmorillonite structure between 600°C and 700°C. Manganese(II) remained coordinated at the surface but positioned in a bicapped trigonal antiprism formed by oxygens of the silicate structure. This coordination was metastable at 800°C when the structural decomposition of the clay mineral began.

Reinterpretation of published data for shale cuttings from the Gulf of Mexico sedimentary basin identifies three reaction zones for illite formation with increasing depth for well CWRU6. In a shallow zone (1.85 to 3 km), non-expanding illite-like layers formed primarily by the coalescence of smectite 2:1 layers around interlayer K+. In a middle zone (3 to 4 km), illite crystals neoformed from solution as coarser K-bearing phases and smectite were dissolved by organic acids. In the deepest zone (>4 km), illite recrystallized as less stable illite crystals dissolved, and more stable illite crystals grew during mineral ripening. The progressive loss of radiogenic argon in the deepest zone yielded a constant apparent age for the clays with depth, an effect previously attributed to “punctuated diagenesis.” The above hypothesis for illite formation emphasizes the need to establish the zone (i.e., the reaction mechanism) from which shales were derived before making detailed geologic interpretations based on illite mineralogy.

As a consequence of treatments with glycine solutions, glycine molecules enter the interlayer of both Ca- and Cd-rich montmorillonite. Measurements of d value suggest that at low glycine concentration (0.01 and 0.1 M glycine solutions) a “flat” arrangement of the glycine molecules occurs in the interlayer. In contrast, intercalation of more than one monolayer of glycine molecules occurs for the montmorillonite treated with a higher concentration of glycine (1 M glycine solution).

Interlayer complexation of glycine occurs only for the Cd-rich form of montmorillonite, whereas no complexation is observed for Ca-rich montmorillonite. Both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) results suggest that the adsorbed glycine, which fully protonates in the interlayer of montmorillonite to give the GlyH2− species, interacts with the interlayer Cd2+ to form the CdGlyx complex mainly through the carboxylate group. The interlayer cadmium, present as both Cd2+ and CdCl−, is complexed by the ligand glycine. In contrast, the cadmium adsorbed on the external surfaces of montmorillonite does not interact with the ligand. Complexation of CdCl+ only occurs for large amounts of adsorption of glycine (e.g., for samples treated with 1 M glycine solution).

Authigenic kaolinite and illite are important diagenetic minerals in the Magnus Sandstone, a giant oil reservoir in the northern North Sea. These clay minerals, separated from three wells, show considerable ranges in their oxygen isotopic composition (δ8OSMOW = +9 to + 16%) and hydrogen isotopic composition (δDSMOW = - 55 to - 105%). The variations in δ18O and δD are positively linearly correlated with a high degree of statistical significance for both kaolinite and illite:

$\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{K}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{e}:\mathrm{n}=12;\delta \mathrm{D}=6.1{\delta }^{18}\mathrm{O}-169;\mathrm{r}=0.66(>95\mathrm{\%})\\ \mathrm{I}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{e}:\mathrm{n}=11;\delta \mathrm{D}=5.9{\delta }^{18}\mathrm{O}-159;\mathrm{r}=0.78(>99\mathrm{\%}).\end{array}$

Formation of the clays in a pore fluid of uniform isotopic composition over a range of temperatures appears unlikely. It is suggested that the observed relationships between clay mineral δ18O and δD are perhaps best explained by a model of precipitation at more or less constant temperature from pore fluids which varied isotopically across the oilfield. The isotopic composition of the formation waters would then lie along the line: δDw = 6.2 δl8Ow - 50. This is most plausibly interpreted as a mixing line with suggested minimal endmembers at (δ18O, δD) values of (+4, -24) and (-4, -76). The first of these represents reasonable isotopic values for Magnus Sandstone formation waters. Although δ18O of the second is compatible with an evolved Cretaceous meteoric water, its δD value is difficult to understand in the context of the model.

Previous investigations of goethite revealed a substantial variation of color and diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) in the extended visible range (350–2200 nm). To better understand the causes of this variability and to assess the potential of DRS as a mineralogical tool, we investigated the DRS of pure and Al-substituted goethite, α-Fe1−xAlxOOH with x from 0 to 0.33, and mean crystal lengths (MCL) from 170 to 1800 nm. The strongly overlapping ligand field bands were extracted by fitting the single-electron transitions 6A1 → 4T1, 6A1 → 4T2, 6A1 → (4E; 4A1), and 6A1 → 4E(4D) as functions of the ligand field splitting energy, 10 Dq, and the interelectronic repulsion parameters, Racah-B and -C. With x increasing from 0 to 0.33, 6A1 → 4T1 decreased from 10,590 to 10,150 cm−1 (944 to 958 nm), and 6A1 → 4T2 decreased from 15,310 to 14,880 cm−1 (653 to 672 nm), while 10 Dq increased from 15,770 to 16,220 cm−1. From the change of 10 Dq we calculated a decrease of the Fe-(O,OH) distances from 202.0 to 200.9 pm (−0.5%). This decrease is smaller than the average decrease of all (Al,Fe)-(O,OH) distances (−1.8%) calculated from the change of the unit-cell lengths (UCL). That is, there remains a substantial difference in size between the larger Fe- and the smaller Al-occupied octahedra in the solid solution which may indicate the existence of diaspore clusters within the goethite structure. The increasing strain in the crystal structure due to the size mismatch and limited contractibility of the oxygen cage around Fe may be the primary reason for Al substitution being restricted to x < 0.33. The bands 6A1 → (4E; 4A1) and 6A1 → 4E(4D) did not shift, indicating a constant covalency of the Fe-(O,OH) bonds with B = 628 cm−1 and C = 5.5B. Whereas variation of band energies could be explained in terms of the Fe-(O,OH) ligand field, the variation of color and band intensities was mainly determined by crystal size. Although our study confirmed the potential of DRS for mineralogical investigations, there is still a gap between the fundamental theory and the explanation of some spectral features.

The orientation of rhodamine 6G (R6G) in the 22-Å basal-spaced complex with Li-fluor-taeniolite has been studied using X-raypowder diffraction, 1-dimensional Fourier analysis, polarized infrared (IR) spectroscopy, carbon analysis and thermal analysis. The R6G was adsorbed by cation exchange in aqueous solution. In the range of 0.086 to 0.46 molar ratio of R6G to taeniolite, the basal spacings of the complex were nearly constant at 21.7 to 22.2 Å. From X-raydiffraction (XRD) data, it was confirmed that R6G in the complex orients with its longest xanthene ring axis perpendicular to the ab plane of the host. The pleochroism of IR absorption bands at 1331, 1517, 1537 and 1621 cm−1 supports the vertical orientation. The wide stability range of the vertical configuration is consistent with the strong coulombic force between the highly negatively charged silicate layer of the host [cation exchange capacity (CEC) = 157 ± 9 meq/100 g] and the positively charged nitrogen bonded to both sides of the R6G xanthene ring.

Adsorptive-type organoclays, where hydrocarbons adsorb directly to the siloxane surfaces, were studied to find new organic cations and to determine the parameters that produce effective sorbents. Organoclays were prepared from hectorite by cation exchange with small, aromatic organic cation salt solutions. Trimefhylphenylammonium (TMPA) chloride was obtained and iodide salts of commercially-unavailable aromatic cations were synthesized and used to prepare organoclays. An aqueous mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) consistent with the composition of unleaded gasoline was used in sorption isotherms to compare the sorptive properties of the organoclays. Only the TMPA, methylphenylpyridinium (MPPyr), and trimethylammonium indan (Indan) organoclays were effective BTEX sorbents. Organoclays prepared from methylpyridinium (MPyr), trimethylammonium biphenyl (Biphenyl), and trimethylammonium fluorene (Fluorene) were poor sorbents. The MPPyr and TMPA organoclays preferentially sorbed ethylbenzene, whereas the Indan organoclay preferentially sorbed benzene and toluene. Langmuir-type sorption isotherms for the TMPA, MPPyr, and Indan organoclays implied surface adsorption, whereas linear isotherms suggested that partitioning was the sorptive mechanism for the MPyr, Biphenyl, and Fluorene organoclays. Water hydrating the small MPyr cation and the larger bulk of the Biphenyl and Fluorene cations may have blocked BTEX access to the interlayer siloxane surfaces. Although the rather bulky MPPyr and Indan cations produced effective organoclays, compact size and low hydration are organic cation properties that typically yield effective adsorptive-type organoclays.

Intercalation of amino acids into 10.0-Å hydrated kaolinite was studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis-thermal gravimetry (DTA-TG), and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Intercalation was found to be dependent on the chain-length, pH, and the concentration of the amino acid zwitterion. Near the isoelectric point, fully intercalated phases were obtained in solutions of concentration >0.5–1 M for glycine (Gly), 2–3 M for β-alanine (β-Ala), and 12 M for both γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-Aba) and δ-aminovaleric acid (δ-Ava). ∊-aminocaproic acid (∊-Aca) with a long chain (C = 6) was only partially intercalated. Intercalated amino acid formed a mono-molecular arrangement with the alkyl chain tilting toward the layer at an angle related to H2O content. The compositions of the intercalates of the Gly and β-Ala are Al2Si2O5(OH)4·(Gly)0.67·0.24H2O and Al2Si2O5(OH)4·(β-Ala)0.63·0.25H2O, respectively, based on TG data. From IR data, Gly and β-Ala molecules are found intercalated as zwitterions and these molecules form hydrogen bonds with both the Al-OH and Si-O surfaces of kaolinite. Washing the intercalate with water produced a hydrated kaolinite, which may form a second amino-acid intercalate of high order. Thus, hydrated kaolinite intercalates or deintercalates amino acids depending on concentration and conditions.

Calcite crystals exposed to clay volatiles react with some components of these volatiles, giving rise to a variety of surface morphologies. F, Cl, and S in different proportions were detected by electron microprobe analysis of the calcite surfaces. Under identical experimental conditions, volatiles from every clay mineral examined caused a specific morphology and chemical composition of the calcite surfaces, but these varied with temperature of the calcite. Changes in pH values and mass spectra of the volatiles after passage through calcite demonstrate that even on rapid heating some clay volatile-calcite reactions occur at temperatures as low as 150°C. Species other than those detectable by electron microprobe analysis also participate in the reactions in which CO2 is liberated.

Two-line ferrihydrite is an important adsorbent of many toxics in natural and anthropogenic systems; however, the specific structural sites responsible for the high adsorption capacity are not well understood. A combination of chemical and spectroscopic techniques have been employed in this study to gain further insight into the structural nature of sites at the ferrihydrite surface. The kinetics of iron isotopic exchange demonstrated that there are at least two types of iron sites in ferrihydrite. One population of sites, referred to as labile sites, approached iron isotopic equilibrium within 24 hr in 59Fe-NTA solutions, while the second population of sites, referred to as non-labile, exhibited a much slower rate of isotopic exchange. Adsorbed arsenate reduced the degree of exchange by labile sites, indicating that the anion blocked or greatly inhibited the rate of exchange of these sites. Mössbauer spectra were collected from a variety of samples including 56Fe-ferrihydrite samples with 57Fe in labile sites, samples containing 57Fe throughout the structure, and samples with 57Fe in non-labile sites. The spectra showed characteristic broad doublets signifying poor structural order. Refined fits of the spectra indicated that labile sites have larger quadrupole splitting, hence more local distortion, than non-labile sites. In all cases, the spectra demonstrated some degree of asymmetry, indicating a distribution of Fe environments in ferrihydrite. Overall spectral findings, combined with recent EXAFS results (Waychunas et al., 1993), indicate that labile sites likely are more reactive (with respect to iron isotopic exchange) because they have fewer neighboring Fe octahedra and are therefore bound less strongly to the ferrihydrite structure. The labile population of sites probably is composed of end sites of the dioctahedral chain structure of 2-line ferrihydrite, which is a subset of the entire population of surface sites. Mössbauer spectra of samples containing adsorbed arsenate indicated that the anion may slightly decrease the distortion of labile sites and stabilized the structure as a whole by bidentate bonding.

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) examinations have indicated that three types of surface layers may exist in natural kaolinite crystals. Type 1 has the expected 7-Å surface layer as terminations. Type 2 has one 10-Å pyrophyllite-like (or low-charge beidellite-like) layer as the surface layer on one side of a kaolinite particle (i.e., the layer sequence is TOTOTO … TOTOTOT, where T stands for tetrahedral sheet, O for octahedral sheet). Some industrial-grade highly-ordered kaolinites have such a 10-Å 2:1 surface layer on one side of the crystal. The spacing between the 10-Å layer and the adjacent 7-Å layer is not expandable. Type 3 kaolinite has one or several 10-Å collapsed smectite-like layers at one or both sides of a stack, i.e., (TOT)TOTO … TOTOTOT(TOT), forming a special kind of kaolinite-smectite interstratification. This type has only been recognized in some poorly-ordered kaolinites. The surface smectite layer(s) contribute to higher cation exchange capacity (CEC) values. These 10-Å surface layers were not detectable by X-ray diffraction (XRD). HRTEM and electron diffraction examination also revealed the structural features of individual kaolinite crystals. All kaolinites (from various origins and sources) studied show C-face-centering Of non-hydrogen atoms. Defects within the layer structure are common in both well-ordered kaolinite and poorly-ordered kaolinite.

Monolayer to bilayer (MTB) and bilayer to pseudotrimolecular (BTP) transitions were observed for smectites exchanged with symmetrical tetraalkylammonium cations of increasing sizes: +NR4, where R = (CH2)nCH3, with 0 ≤ n ≤ 7. In the case of SWy-1, SHCa-1 and SWa-1, the variation in layer spacing observed from intercalation of tetramethylammonium up to tetraoctylammonium cations showed a behavior characteristic of smectites with homogeneously distributed interlayer cations. In the case of STx-1, the change in interlayer spacing with the increase of the alkyl chain length was characteristic of a very high charge heterogeneity. Higher charge smectites (SAz-1 and SCa-3, CEC > 1.20 mmol/g) were found to have decreasing cation exchange with increasing cation size, resulting in a "leveling off’ of the interlayer spacing toward larger cations. The MTB and BTP transitions were used to determine the internal surface area of various smectites. The proposed method was found to be a quicker and simpler alternative to the polar liquid sorption method for this measurement, but was ineffective for high-charge smectites (CEC > 1.20 mmol/g).