Abstract
Replacement of alumina by ferric iron in the lattice structure features the nontronite member of the montmorillonite group. Chromium, in significant amounts, replaces ferric iron in the lattice structure of some nontronites.
Effect of migration of clay minerals under colloidal suspension and the transfer of true solutions complicate correlations of the chemical composition. Moreover, many nontronites are secondary and occur in fracture zones associated with kaolinitic and halloysitic clay. A tendency of certain nontronites to form lathlike crystals is well known.
Chemical composition of 15 selected nontronites from the United States of America, Germany, and Russia indicate a range of 30 to 60 percent SiO2, and a range of from 25 to 40 percent Fe2O3. Minor constituents are the oxides of magnesium, titanium, ferrous iron, and calcium, and the alkalis, potassium and sodium.
Magnesium percentages found in nontronites are proportional to the value of sigma for octahedral coordination. Ferrous iron is proportional to titanium in montmorillonite, and a similar relationship is observed in the nontronites.
A deficiency in alkalis typifies the composition of montmorillonite and this condition is likewise true in most nontronites. Potassium is limited to a narrow statistical range of between 0.5 to 0.6 ions of Al in tetrahedral coordination against an extreme deficiency of ferric iron and magnesium (combined) of less than 0.05 ion in octahedral coordination. Thus calcium occurs as the principal large cation and is present in nearly all the nontronites studied.
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Kornfeld, J.A. Statistical Relationships of Minor Constituents of Some Nontronites. Clays Clay Miner. 5, 174–188 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.1956.0050114
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.1956.0050114