Some factors affecting the interlamellar adsorption of alcohols by 2:1 clay minerals

Abstract Homoionic forms of montmorillonites and a vermiculite were prepared and their charge characteristics examined. Clay-alcohol complexes of these homoionic systems were studied by means of differential thermal micro-analysis (DTMA), X-ray and infrared techniques. The interlamellar adsorption of alcohols by montmorillonites appears to be independent of the net layer charge, the source of the charge, the type of the saturating cation and the predrying of the homoionic forms examined. The vermiculite used in this study was found to have 1 : 1 biotite-vermiculite mixed layers with a net layer charge of 1.72 mainly located in the tetrahedral position. The type of saturating cation in such a mineral plays a major role in its expansion and in adsorption of alcohols.