The effect of exchangeable alkylammonium ions on the swelling of montmorillonite in water

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Abstract
A study has been made of the influence of adsorbed alkylammonium ions on the water sorption and swelling of Na+ and Ca++ montmorillonite, under controlled conditions of temperature and suction. The water uptake and extensive crystalline swelling of Na+ montmorillonite decrease as the proportion of exchangeable alkylammonium/ammonium ions increases. This decrease is more associated with the degree of surface coverage than with the degree of saturation of the exchange sites by the alkylammonium ions. These observations are explained in terms of binding of the organic cation by the clay surface and the collapse of diffuse double layers on interlamellar surfaces. Differences in water uptake betwen complexes saturated with different alkylammonium ions are attributed to differences in the structural arrangement of the clay crystals in the swollen state. Similarly, there is a continual slight decrease in the water uptake and swelling of Ca++ montmorillonite as the amount of alkylammonium ions present increases. However, for alkylammonium ions containing less than five carbon atoms and when only about half of the exchangeable Ca++ ions have been replaced by the organic ions, extensive crystalline swelling sometimes takes place. When this occurs, it is suggested that the alkylammonium ions disrupt the regularity of the water network initially associated with the Ca++ ions, enabling these to participate in the formation of diffuse double layers in the interlamellar space.

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