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Dispersion of Clays in Ethanol Solutions
Author(s) -
Leonard R. A.,
Jackson W. A.
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/sssaj1975.03615995003900060048x
Subject(s) - kaolinite , montmorillonite , dispersion (optics) , adsorption , electrolyte , chemical engineering , chemistry , clay minerals , mineralogy , materials science , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , electrode , optics , engineering
Kaolinite was found to disperse at critical electrolyte concentrations in ethanol solutions greater than 80 vol/vol% of 10 ‐5 to 10 ‐3 M CaCl 2 and 10 ‐5 to 10 ‐2 M AlCl 3 . Cecil soil clay also dispersed under the same conditions, while montmorillonite did not disperse in these solutions. Kaolinite did not disperse in alcoholic NaCl solutions. The dispersed kaolinite migrated toward the cathode in electrophoresis experiments which supported our hypothesis that cation adsorption from the alcohol solution into the Stern layer at the clay surface imparted a positive electrical charge and promoted dispersion. Cationic reactions with clay surfaces in alcoholic media may provide additional insight concerning the nature of these surfaces. Dispersion of clays in alcohol may also be a useful technique for selectively concentrating clay for other characterization studies.