The change of the properties of chrysotile after ball milling in organic liquids (aromatics, alcohols, silicone oils) or water was studied by gas adsorption, electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, zeta potential measurements, and chemical analysis. Grinding in low viscosity organic solvents leads initially to a rapid defiberization of the asbestos bundles and to a fragmentation of the isolated fibrils. Finally, amorphization and agglomeration occur causing a drastic decrease of the specific surface area of the ground material. Grinding in water brings about a defiberization, but much more slowly than in organic solvents. Moreover, prolonged grinding in water does not significantly alter the structure of chrysotile. The efficiencies of the organic solvents, considered as grinding aids that induce fracture of the fibrils, are related to the environmental stress cracking of brittle solids (Rehbinder theory). Hence, the pertinent properties of the organic liquids are their viscosity and their cohesion energy (solubility parameter). Solvents chemisorbed on the surface of the ground chrysotile reduce the surface energy of the fracture surface and prevent aggregation. Water does not react according to Rehbinder's theory, but appears to form a protective layer around the fibrils. This hypothesis was verified by dry grinding defiberized asbestos (rapid amorphization) or by disturbing the stability of the water coating by coadsorbing alcohol on the solid surface. Alternatively, the resistance of the fibrils to fracture may be explained by Westwood's theory that grinding in water is equivalent to grinding in an alkali medium, wherein the surface charge of the chrysotile becomes negligible, and the mechanical stability of the fiber reaches a maximum.

Acid and non-acid forms of kaolinite clays were found by potentiometric and conductometric titrations to possess a weak acid species, the concentration of which was increased by acidic preparation conditions and by the presence of soil organic matter bound to the clay. A stronger acid species was also found in untreated and in organic-free, HCl-treated samples (washed free of excess acid). The end points for organic-free and/or ion-exchanged samples were used to predict the end points for untreated samples. A surface-chemical model involving MOH2+, MOH, and MO− species (where M = Al and/or Fe) was fitted to the titration data and to the cation-exchange capacities. MOH2+ is the stronger acid and MOH the weaker acid; exchange of Na+ counterions by H+ converts MO−Na+ sites to MOH sites. Humic acid was probably complexed or chelated to some hydroxylated Al/Fe sites through COOH and phenolic OH groups. The COOH groups contributed supplementary stronger acid species which were not exchangeable, whereas the OH groups contributed supplementary weaker acid species and also increased the CEC relative to that for organic-free samples.

As shown by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, halloysite in three rhyolitic tephras occurs as squat and elongate ellipsoids. Both morphologies are presumed to result from a similar lattice building mechanism. The squat ellipsoids form from allophane; the elongate ellipsoids form from feldspars. The squat ellipsoids do not possess flattened faces or spaces between books of layers at field moisture levels. Outgrowths from the squat ellipsoids are possibly due to inclusions of allophane, glass, ferrihydrite, or feldspar crystallites. Possible spiral growth of halloysite, giving curved surfaces, may be due to a continuous distribution of crystal dislocations.

The structure of a lepidolite-2M1 from Biskupice, Czechoslovakia, has been redetermined. Violations of systematic extinctions and of monoclinic equivalences plus the results of a second harmonic generation test indicate that the true symmetry most likely is C1̄. The deviation of the data set from C2/c symmetry, however, proved to be too small to permit a statistically significant refinement in C1̄. Refinement in C2/c symmetry indicated no ordering of tetrahedral cations but ordering of octahedral cations so that M(1) = Li0.93R2+0.06Fe3+0.01 and M(2) = Al0.58Li0.35□0.07. The tetrahedra are elongated to form trigonal pyramids with a rotation angle of 6.2°. The anomalous orientation of the thermal ellipsoid for the F,OH anion plus the large equivalent isotropic B value of 2.58 for F,OH and of 1.74 for the interlayer K cation, whose position is partly restricted in C2/c symmetry, suggest a lower symmetry than C2/c.

The compositions of this sample and of a second lepidolite-2M1 from Western Australia fall outside the stability field of lepidolite-2M1 in the synthetic system. Structural control of the stacking sequence is discounted on the basis of the structural similarity of the lepidolite unit layers. Crystallization parameters are considered more important than composition or the structure of the unit layer in determining the stability and occurrence of different layer-stacking sequences in lepidolite.

The diffusion of water in Li-montmorillonite was studied by incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering. Experiments were carried out on sedimented samples equilibrated at relative humidities of 32%, 58%, and 98%, corresponding approximately to 1, 2, and 3 molecular layers of water in the clay. At all three humidities, although the mobility of the water molecules is less than in bulk water, all water molecules in the system undergo translational diffusion, at least over short distances (>5 Å), with correlation times shorter than 5 × 10−11 sec.

Various models of molecular motion have been used to account for the exact shape of the scattering. The only completely successful model is one where a water molecule undergoes jump-translational diffusion and rotational diffusion. The mean square jump length is 10–15 Å2 with a residence time between jumps of 4–2 × 10−11 sec. The translational diffusion coefficient increases with humidity, having values of 4, 7, and 10 × 10−10 m2/sec for the three humidities. These values can be combined with values previously obtained by tracer measurements to give an estimate of 0.75–0.8 for the tortuosity factor. Although the samples are anisotropic, there is no clear evidence that the diffusion of water over distances 5–20 Å is anisotropic. An upper limit of 3 can be deduced for the rate of diffusion parallel to the direction perpendicular to the platelets.

The conductivites of the Na and H ion-exchanged forms of kaolinitic clay rejects from sand-washing operations, both purified and as found naturally as a complex with soil organic matter, were examined. The two Na-clays showed linear conductivity-concentration characteristics, each having two regions with different slopes intersecting at ∼3.3% by weight of clay, which probably reflect a structural change from sol to gel. In the gel region, only the Na-counterions conducted, the reduction in conductivity with concentration being due to a smaller proportion of these ions in the Gouy layer and/or a decrease in their mobilities. In the sol, an additional, concentration-dependent conductivity arose from the electrophoretic motion of clusters of clay particles which gradually broke down on dilution. The two acid clays showed curved conductivity-concentration characteristics consistent with a weak acid dissociation equilibrium; the pKa values of 6.37 to 6.56 are close to those determined independently from titration with alkali. A stronger acid species detected in the titrations was not seen in the conductivity. The MOH2+/MOH/MO− model of the clay-surface species and one set of the predicted concentrations of each species (see preceding paper) are consistent with the observed conductivities. The MOH2+ species probably bridged the edges and faces of clay particles so that the H atoms were identical, but became different when alkali was added.

Wyoming montmorillonite, <2-µm particle size, saturated with Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Ba ions, was reacted with uranyl nitrate solutions in the concentration range 1–300 ppm uranium. With constant amounts of clay and solution volume, the adsorption isotherms of uranyl ions on the clay followed Langmuir-type curves with increasing concentration of uranium. The maximum adsorption derived from linear Langmuir plots corresponds to the exchange capacity of the clay. Experiments with solutions of constant volume and constant ionicity, but with variable proportions of uranyl and other cations, showed that uranyl ions were strongly preferred by the clay to Na+ and K+, but less strongly than Mg2+, Ca2+, and Ba2+.

Chemical analyses of uranyl montmorillonites prepared with nitrate solutions, 0.05 M and pH ≃ 2.0, gave interlayer cations (UO2)0,094H0,12. Addition of NaOH to the uranyl nitrate solution to increase the pH to 4.0 gave a montmorillonite with interlayer cations (UO2)0,083Na0,12H0,04. A fully exchanged uranyl montmorillonite was prepared with 0.05 M uranyl acetate solution, pH ∼ 4.0, followed by further treatment with 1.25 × 10−5 M solution, pH ∼ 4.5. The resulting interlayer composition was (UO2)0,19(H2O)1.15 which corresponds with the hexahydrate ion, [(UO2)−6H2O]. X-ray powder diffraction and thermal data are recorded for the fully exchanged uranyl montmorillonite.

The sequence of mineral reactions involving zeolites and other authigenic phases in tuffaceous sedimentary rocks can be explained by growth- and dissolution-reaction kinetics. Kinetic factors may determine the specific authigenic phases which form and the temporal and spatial constraints on the solution composition during irreversible dissolution and growth reactions in glass-bearing rocks. The glass phase generates a high level of supersaturation with respect to a variety of aluminosilicates in the pore fluid. The sequence of assemblages formed during a series of metastable reactions resembles an Ostwald step sequence. Metastable reactions occur because formation of less stable phases such as gels, clays, and disordered zeolites may lower the total free energy of the glass-bearing system faster than the growth of the stable assemblage including ordered feldspars, quartz, and micas. Eventually, after a series of steps, the most stable silicate assemblage for the bulk composition, temperature, and pressure may form. However, the formation of intermediate metastable phases can delay the attainment of equilibrium by as much as tens of millions of years.

Al-substituted goethites were prepared by rapid oxidation of mixed FeCl2-AlCl3 solutions at pH 6.8 in the presence of CO2 at 25°C. A combination of Al substitution and adsorption of CO2 reduced crystal size (except for an increase at small additions of Al) and produced unusual thin, porous particles. Product goethites had surface areas up to 283 m2/g and unit-cell expansions induced by hydration. Substitution of Al for Fe reduced the 111 spacing and increased infrared OH-bending vibrational frequencies. Al substitution split the goethite dehydroxylation endotherm during differential thermal analysis into a doublet and increased the temperature of all reactions. Both cold and hot alkali solutions dissolved Al from the goethite structure.

After drying the product in vacuo at 110°C. X-ray powder diffraction data indicated minimal deviation from Vegard's law for the goethite-diaspore solid solution up to about 30 mole % Al substitution. Goethite prepared in the presence of 40 mole % Al had a 111 spacing of 2.403 Å corresponding to 36 mole % structural Al if Vegard's law was obeyed. Rapid oxidation of mixed FeCl2-AlCl3 solutions appears to be conducive to a higher degree of Al substitution in goethite than alkaline aging of hydroxy-Fe(III)-Al coprecipitates.

Clay samples from shales and bentonites in the Mancos Shale (Cretaceous) and its stratigraphic equivalents in the southern Rocky Mountain and Colorado Plateau have been analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction methods. The major clay in the shales is mixed layered illite/smectite, with 20–60% illite layers. The regional distribution of ordered vs. random interstratification in the illite/smectite is consistent with the concept of burial metamorphism in which smectite interlayers are converted to illite, resulting finally in ordered interstratification. The interstratification data correlate with other geologic information, including rank of coal and Laramide tectonic activity. In addition, contact metamorphism of the shale by Tertiary igneous intrusions produced a similar clay suite. Chemical variation within these shales (particularly the presence or absence of carbonate) affected the clay conversion reactions in the interbedded bentonites and the shale itself during the early stages of transformation. In extreme cases, shales and bentonites from a single outcrop may contain clays that range from pure smectite (calcareous shales) to ordered illite/smectite containing ⩾50% illite layers (noncalcareous shales). The use of mixed-layered illite/smectite compositions to infer thermal regimes, therefore, may be misleading unless allowance is made for local chemical controls.

The crystallization of calcium zeolites was carried out in an open hydrothermal system at 100°–250°C, using reactants that in nature are known to alter to calcium zeolites and 0.1 N CaCl2, 0.01 N CaCl2, and 0.01 N CaCl2 + 0.01 N NaOH (1:1) solutions. The following calcium zeolites were identified by X-ray powder diffraction:

• Rhyolitic glass: heulandite, phillipsite, epistilbite, wairakite;

• Basaltic glass: phillipsite, scolecite, wairakite, levynite;

• Nepheline: thomsonite, wairakite, gismondine;

• Oligoclase: heulandite, phillipsite, wairakite.

Factors that influenced the type of zeolite formed were: Si/Al ratio of the starting material, calcium/alkali ratio of the starting material, calcium activity of the reacting solution, presence of an open alteration system, and temperature. The Si/Al ratio of the starting material was of special importance in that zeolites formed with Si/Al ratios similar to or smaller than that of the parent material. The calcium/alkali ratio of the starting material also influenced the kind of the early alteration products in the open system. As alteration progressed, the importance of the starting material decreased. The importance of the calcium activity of the reacting solution and the influence of the open system increased as alteration proceeded. Because of mass transfer during alteration in the open system, the calcium content of the minerals formed increased, while their Si/Al ratio decreased. Temperature was especially effective during prolonged alteration, in that the higher the alteration temperature the smaller was the H2O content of the alteration product. Initially, H2O-rich zeolites formed transitorily at higher temperatures.

The effects of Na-citrate-dithionite (NaCD), ammonium oxalate in the dark (NH4Ox-D), and photolytic reaction under ultraviolet radiation (NH4Ox-P) on the mineralogy of <2-µm fractions of selected soils from Virginia were investigated. The NH4Ox-D treatment removed the smallest amounts of Al (<0.22%) and Fe (<0.50%) from all soils, indicating low levels of noncrystalline material in these materials. From the six soils examined, NH4Ox-P treatment extracted 5–62% more Fe and 12–300% more Al than the NaCD treatment. The NH4Ox-D and NaCD treatments revealed no X-ray diffraction detectable alterations to mineral phases present in <2-µm fractions of these soils. The NH4Ox-P treatment, on the other hand, produced considerable degradation of hydroxy-interlayered vermiculites in these soils, as evidenced by a shift of the 14-Å X-ray diffraction maxima to lower spacings with heat treatment of the sample. The NH4Ox-P treatment removed variable amounts of hydroxy-Al material from the interlayers of 2:1 layer silicates, depending on their stability and degree of development.

To identify mineral alterations which might occur in stream environments, predominantly illitic soil clays were equilibrated in bottom sediment environments under natural and laboratory conditions for 217 and 98 days, respectively. Changes occurring after 217 days on the bottom of the Auglaize River, Ohio, consisted of a reduction in carbonate content, a decrease in particle size, and a slight loss of Al and Si; however, no significant changes in basal spacings were observed.

Clays equilibrated in river water under laboratory conditions at 4° and 25°C in CO2, N2, or air atmospheres showed only an increase in oxalate-extractable iron. The concentrations of Al, Si, Fe, Mn, K, and Ca in solution above the clays varied with the atmosphere and temperature. The concentrations of Fe, Al, and Si in solution may have been influenced by the dissolution of amorphous Al-Fe-Si compounds. Therefore, the mineralogical differences between soils in the watershed and sediments in the drainage system can not be attributed to mineralogical transformations during residence in the drainage system.

Dry ground phlogopite was placed in deionized water saturated with CO2 at room temperature and pressure. The bulk solution was buffered between a pH of 5 and 6 which is close to the pH of natural weathering systems. The conditions simulated a closed system. After 1010 hr, 2.0% of the total K, 0.95% of the Mg, 0.54% of the Si, and 0.74% of the F had been released, indicating that the dissolution was incongruent. Most of the K was released within 3 min, apparently by a rapid surface exchange with hydrogen ion. One-third of the cation-exchange capacity of this phlogopite arises from cations released from the outer surfaces, while two-thirds arises from the release of more deeply seated cations. All cations exhibited decreasing release with time, the slowest being Si. The rate-controlling “factor” in the later stages is related to the release of Si. It is difficult to distinguish linear from parabolic kinetics in the later stages because of the slow rate of dissolution; however, linear kinetics is most likely. If linear kinetics is applicable, the dissolution rate of Si was 3.8 × 10−17 mole/cm2/sec. Conclusions may be affected by the length of the experimental run.

Empirical reaction progress diagrams showing the trends of major element oxide concentrations (in g/cm3) as functions of bulk density for a diabase saprolite reveal discontinuities in the trends of Al2O3, MgO, H2O+, and nonextractable Fe2O3. The discontinuities coincide with discontinuities in the trends of (1) the kaolinite-smectite 001 peak-intensity ratio, (2) the smectite 002-001 peak intensity ratio, and (3) the smectite basal spacing as functions of bulk density. The discontinuities are apparently related to redox conditions in the weathering profile because they occur at a depth where siderite veins first appear in the saprolite. Oxidizing conditions in the upper part of the profile appear to have favored the formation of Ferich smectite over kaolinite, whereas reducing conditions deeper in the profile favored the formation of kaolinite over Al-rich smectite. These results indicate that where geochemical conditions favor retention of Fe over Al, smectites can form in preference to kaolinite or gibbsite even under conditions of strong leaching.

Integrated intensities of the fundamental modes of vibrations of ammonium in heat-treated, NH4+-exchanged swelling minerals permits (1) a quantitative determination of the amount of tetrahedral substitutions of Si4+ by M3+ in dioctahedral smectites, and (2) an estimate of the degree of interlayer surface heterogeneity in trioctahedral minerals to be made. This is possible because NH4+ cations balancing the negative charge of tetrahedral sites that are not influenced by an excess positive charge of the octahedral layer have a symmetry lower (probably C3v) than the usual tetrahedral Td symmetry of NH4+. In C3v symmetry the ν1 band is infrared active whereas it is only Raman active in Td symmetry. Protons left after deammoniating dioctahedral smectites with tetrahedral substitutions form interlayer silanol groups, the stretching vibration of which give a band that is distinct from that of octahedral OH-stretching modes.

After a temperature-dependent period when little dissolution occurs, the dissolution of rhyolitic glass can be described by dC/dt = k(Cs − C), where Cs is the concentration of dissolved silica at saturation, C is the instantaneous silica concentration, and k is a rate constant equal to 1.6 × 10−5, 3.0 × 10−5, and 4.5 × 10−5 sec−1 at 115°, 130°, and 140°C respectively, in 2 M Na-K carbonate solution at 1 kbar pressure. At 130°C, a Cs value of 0.177 M SiO2 is reached in 30 hr, and phillipsite, clinoptilolite, and mordenite begin forming at 34, 64, and 76 hr, respectively, in 2 M CO3, 1:1 Na/K. During glass dissolution and zeolite formation, the concentration of Al as Al(OH)4− is buffered at 3.7 × 10−4 M by an unidentified phase. The ratio of SiO2 to Al(OH)4− at the onset of zeolite formation is 475. In 2 M CO3 solution, phillipsite crystallization begins at 144 hr at 115°C, at 34 hr at 130°C, and at 20 hr at 140°C. Phillipsite crystallization begins at 48 hr in 1.5 M CO3, at 168 hr in 1.0 M CO3, and in excess of 550 hr in 0.2 M CO3 at 140°C. In addition to OH− catalysis, CO32- appears also to catalyze the glass-dissolution and zeolite-formation processes.

Thermodynamically, phillipsite is unstable relative to clinoptilolite and mordenite in silica-rich alkaline hydrothermal solutions. Phillipsite forms first, followed by clinoptilolite, and then mordenite. Phillipsite formation is favored by runs of one-week duration, temperatures less than 150°C, and K-rich fluids. Clinoptilolite formation is favored in runs of more than one week, temperatures less than 150°C and K-rich fluids. Mordenite formation is favored by runs of more than one week, temperatures greater than 140°C, and Na-rich fluids. In 8-day runs at 140°C, clinoptilolite formation was favored by liquid: solid reactant (volume: mass) ratios less than 1.0, mordenite by ratios from 0.85 to 1.5, and phillipsite by ratios greater than 1.5. The mechanism of formation of the different zeolites, particularly phillipsite, may involve silica-cyclic tetramers which are abundant in concentrated solutions under alkaline hydrothermal conditions but which are almost absent in dilute low-temperature solutions. Thus, the results of hydrothermal experiments may not be directly applicable to zeolite formation at low temperatures.

Thin clay films prepared from aqueous suspensions of the potassium or sodium salt of picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) with Al-, Fe-, or Cu-saturated montmorillonite or with montmorillonite coated with hydrous oxides of Al, Fe, or Cu were examined in an air-dry condition by infrared (IR) techniques to elucidate possible modes of interaction between picloram and the mineral surfaces. Deuteration was used to confirm band assignments of picloram and its salts prior to interaction with montmorillonite. Picloram interactions with Al- and Fe-saturated montmorillonite and with montmorillonite coated with hydrous oxides of Al and Fe were concentration dependent. At high picloram concentrations similarities with the IR spectrum of potassium picloram indicated that much of the picloram was present in the salt form. As the concentration of picloram was reduced below that equivalent to 1 meq/g clay, the IR spectrum indicated the presence of the monomeric acid on the mineral surface. The spectrum of picloram on montmorillonite with a coating of copper hydrous oxide was similar to that of a Cu-picloram complex indicating coordination type bonding. The spectrum of picloram with Cu-saturated montmorillonite did not correspond to any of the other spectra of picloram examined. The interaction of picloram with montmorillonite coated with a hydrous oxide coating of Cu and with Cu-saturated montmorillonite were independent of picloram concentration in the range 2.20-0.44 meq/g clay.

The dissolution of synthetic magnetite, maghemite, hematite, goethite, lepidocrocite, and akaganeite was faster in HCl than in HClO4. In the presence of H+, the Cl− ion increased the dissolution rate, but the ClO4− ion had no effect, suggesting that the formation of Fe-Cl surface complexes assists dissolution. The effect of temperature on the initial dissolution rate can be described by the Arrhenius equation, with dissolution rates in the order: lepidocrocite > magnetite > akaganeite > maghemite > hematite > goethite. Activation energies and frequency factors for these minerals are 20.0, 19.0, 16.0, 20.3, 20.9, 22.5 kcal/mole and 5.8 × 1011, 1.8 × 1010, 7.4 × 107, 5.1 × 1010, 2.1 × 1010, 3.0 × 1011 g Fe dissolved/m2/hr, respectively. The complete dissolution of magnetite, maghemite, hematite, and goethite is well described by the cube-root law, whereas that of lepidocrocite is not.