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Dissolution of Illite—A Possible Mechanism of Potassium Release
Author(s) -
Feigenbaum Sala,
Shainberg I.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1975.03615995003900050049x
Subject(s) - illite , dissolution , potassium , chemistry , magnesium , salt (chemistry) , inorganic chemistry , clay minerals , mineralogy , organic chemistry
The rate of potassium aluminum, iron and magnesium release from Fithian illite in dilute salt solutions and at pH ⩾ 3, was studied. It was found that cumulative cation release was proportional to the square root of the duration of the treatment. The rate of Al release was similar to the rate of K release, whereas the rate of Fe and Mg release was about three × that of K and Al release. Since the only known mechanism for the release of the lattice cations is the dissolution of the clay, it is proposed that dissolution of the clay lattice is also the dominant mechanism by which potassium is released from the clay. Two consecutive reactions, a rapid exchange reaction and a slow first‐order reaction, explain the experimental observations.