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Regularity of Interstratification as Affected by Charge Density in Layer Silicates¹

ABSTRACT

Successively larger sorptions of Cs or K by most Ca-saturated vermiculites collapsed their alternate layers, producing regularly interstratified mica-vermiculite layer sequences. Additional sorption then collapsed the expanded layers within the interstratified mineral until the entire sample was collapsed to the mica structure. Sorption of Cs or K by Ca-saturated montmorillonites, on the other hand, did not collapse their interlayers even when almost half of their exchange sites were occupied by Cs or K. Additional sorption then collapsed some layers producing random, not regular, interstratification.

The ease of collapse of interlayers and the subsequent regularity of interstratification was related to the layer charge density of the mineral. The large charge density in vermiculite collapses the layers readily on Cs or K sorption. The collapse in one layer prevents the entry of these cations in the adjacent layer, producing regularly interstratified mica-vermiculite layer sequences. The lack of collapse and the random interstratification in montmorillonites, on the other hand, is attributed to their small charge density.

Contribution from The Connecticut Agr. Exp. Sta., New Haven. Presented before Div. S-2, Soil Science Society of America, Washington, D.C., Nov. 9, 1967. This study was supported in part by the US Atomic Energy Commission under contract AT(30-1)-2955.

² Associate Soil Chemist. The author wishes to express his appreciation to F. C. C. Pedersen for technical assistance during this investigation.

Received for publication May 9, 1968. Accepted for publication July 23, 1968.