A versatilidade das argilas e as propriedades dos sítios superficiais de interação

This article presents in a simplified and introductory way, the active sites present on the surfaces of clays that make them so versatile. These sites are responsible for interactions between the clay and organic or inorganic species, and the chemical transformations of substrates that occur on the surface, allowing to understand either natural processes in the environment or those performed on an industrial scale. It is proposed that this text can illustrate, in the classroom, fundamental concepts (types of chemical reactions, electrostatic interactions and other ones) from processes on solid surfaces. The correlation between the active sites of clays and their properties is a rich topic to be explored in chemistry disciplines.