The influence of Al on the products formed by aerial oxidation at pH 5.5-7 and 20°C of Fe(II) chloride, sulfate and carbonate solutions, was examined. In all cases Al at levels Al/Al + Fe = 0.09−0.30 inhibited the formation of y phases (lepidocrocite and maghemite) in favor of goethite under conditions where, in the absence of Al, these y phases formed. The influence of Al in these laboratory studies was supported by field observations.

At higher levels of Al, ferrihydrite formation was favored. This effect of Al was seen to be the result of a slowing down in the hydrolysis/oxidation rate of the Fe(II) system.

The presence of Al not only changed the direction of mineral formation, but also caused the formation of Al substitued goethites which resembled in particle size and morphology the natural aluminiferous goethite extracted from a soil.

“Kaolinites” from classic, large deposits of kaolin are shown commonly in scanning electron micrographs to be mixtures, at least in part, in microdimensions, of kaolin-mineral polymorphs.

Artificial mixtures of selected kaolin polymorphs simulating the natural mixtures, also micrographed, show crystallinities intermediate between the crystallinities of the end members in X-ray powder diffractograms. Thus, apparent crystallinity interpreted from diffractograms of a kaolin specimen may be a product of kaolin-mineral mixture in microdimensions as well as from ordering in the crystals. Evaluation of the crystallinity of a kaolin from powder diffraction may be suspect if independent means, such as SEM, are not used to assess the monomineralic character of that kaolin specimen.

Analogous to the apparent crystallinity of a “kaolinite” being the product of a mixture, so may other widely ranging properties of “kaolinite” be products of kaolin-mineral mixtures in microdimensions. These properties include DTA, IR, chemical composition, free energies of formation, and industrial applications.

Specifications for a monomineralic, nearly ideal kaolinite are considered—the Keokuk geode variety possesses desired crystallographic and chemical properties.

The equilibrium diagrams developed for Al-hydroxide and for kaolinite by Garrels and Christ (1965) have been modified by taking into account the existence of gels. From the stability zones obtained, the “appropriate” concentrations can be deduced and utilized for synthesizing these species, provided the requirements to insure good crystal growth are observed. Among procedures to promote these crystallizations, homogeneous precipitation processes (La Iglesia et al., 1974, 1976) appear to be particularly adequate.

The theoretical considerations provide an explanation for most of the processes observed until now, both successful and unsuccessful syntheses, and also give an explanation for many field observations. The crystallizations, however, remain poorly reproducible, indicating that many factors are still poorly known. Some points requiring further investigation include (i) better values for ΔGr0, (ii) the influence of organic complexes, (iii) the effect of preexisting crystalline phases, (iv) those involving dehydration processes in these systems.

Kaolinite is synthesized in approximately the same time in three temperature ranges: (1) from 200–250° to 350–400° (hydrothermal processes); (2) from 120 to 175° (semihydrothermal ones); (3) at ordinary temperature. It is thus evident that the rate process cannot be explained by the Arrhenius equation only, but is explained well by considering that kaolinite formation obeys the laws of crystal growth. It occurs only in slightly supersaturated solutions in which the nucleation process is possible and in which a slow and regular rate of growth has been insured. Concentrations calculated from the thermodynamical equilibria correspond to those of the experimental conditions for the low temperature processes. For the higher temperature ones, a similar relationship is delineated, at least as far as the thermodynamical treatment can be carried out.

The reaction of phlogopite with a trimethylsilylating reagent yielded organosilicate compounds which are soluble in various organic solvents. Gas chromatographic analysis of the soluble products indicates that they consist of the trimethylsilylated derivatives of silicic acids which have been formed in the decomposition of phlogopite by hydrochloric acid and that silicic acids formed by the acid attack are monomelic and also oligomeric. The increase of the ratio of GC peak areas of monomer derivative to dimer one with an increase of the reaction time shows that silicic acids in the reaction system tend to depolymerize. The difference between phlogopite and biotite in the ease of trimethylsilylation also is discussed.

A technique suitable for computer application has been developed whereby whole rock major element analyses are corrected for X-ray detectable nonclay minerals and used to set up simultaneous equations which are solved to give clay mineral abundances. A theoretical evaluation of the approach by graphical methods enables the intrinsic errors to be very clearly assessed. Errors are minimized when SiO2, A12O3, and K2O are used as variables but only slightly increased if total Fe2O3 + MgO is substituted for SiO2. Quartz and CO2 content are the only data normally required which cannot be determined by X-ray fluorescence.

Results compare favorably with estimates obtained by XRD and other methods, being more accurate than XRD and equally precise provided the rock does not contain clay minerals other than the kaolin group, the mica group, and chlorite. Errors are large when the clay mineral phases comprise more than 35% chlorite and as yet undetermined when smectite exceeds 10%.

The method is ideally suited to the analysis of large numbers of mudstones of fairly similar mineralogy especially where XRF equipment with direct output to a computer is available.

The rates of release of Al by M NH4NO3 (pH 3) from minerals saturated with Al ions at pH 3 suggest that Al ions migrated from the surface layers and the matrix cores of kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite, and biotite, but only from the matrix core of muscovite mica. From the 0.25–0.5 μm kaolinite and montmorillonite, part of the ‘surface’ Al is released ‘instantaneously’ and the rest by first order kinetics, but the coarse 1.5–2.5 μm kaolinite has only the former component. From illite and biotite, ‘surface’ Al is released by ‘bulk diffusion’ kinetics suggesting the existence of disturbed peripheral layers of finite thickness. The diffusion coefficients, Dm, for the matrix core follow the trend: mica ≃ biotite > illite > montmorillonite > kaolinite.

Based on models proposed in previous work, the ionic composition of the ‘surface’ Al is calculated. This shows that (1) this composition varies according to the mineral from 3 to 100% Al3+, the remainder being in the hydrolyzed form, and (2) the apparent hydrolysis constants are different for each mineral and significantly different from those of Al ions in solution.

The compound Mg2+-Al3+-(Fe(CN)6)4−, with a structure similar to hydrotalcite Mg6Al2(OH)16CO3 ·4H2O, is prepared by a coprecipitation method. Chemical, thermal, and X-ray analysis of the compound lead to the formula: $(M{g}_{0.741}A{l}_{0.259}(OH{)}_2)((F{e}^{II}(CN{)}_6{)}_{0.067}(C{O}_3{)}_{0.002}(H_{2}O{)}_{1.05})$

The compound is dehydrated at 100° to 250°C, and the adsorption of N2, O2, CO2, and H2 on it is measured at −196°C to room temperature by the volumetric method. The water is removed reversibly from 100° to 200°C, and the interstices after dehyration act as sites of adsorption. When dehydration is carried out at 150°C, the adsorptive activity reaches a maximum. Adsorption isotherms of N2 and O2 at −196°C and of CO2 at room temperature are of the Langmuir type, and the saturated amounts of N2, O2, and CO2 adsorbed are 96.3, 65.2, and 91.8 ml (STP)/g, respectively.

Adsorption isotherms of N2 and O2 at room temperature are of the Henry type. The amount of O2 adsorbed is about 67% of that of N2. The isosteric heats of adsorption at room temperature of N2, O2, and CO2 are 5.1, 4.8, and 11.0 kcal/mol, respectively. A dehydrated product of a Mg2+-Al3+-CO32− compound does not permit adsorption of CO2 at room temperature, but permits the adsorption of H2O. Hence, it has a molecular sieve effect. No adsorption of H2 is observed in any of the compounds tested.

Lepidocrocite was identified associated with mica particles and in the clay fraction of two well-drained Ontario soils developed on a granite and a granite-gneiss. The occurrence of lepidocrocite is rare outside the tropics and there are no reports on its existence in well-drained soils.