The determination of layer charge by curve-fitting of Lorentz- and polarization-corrected X-ray diagrams

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Abstract
The clay fraction from the B horizon of a Psammentic Hapludalf containing vermiculite and smectite was treated with n-alkylammonium chloride ranging from nc = 6 to nc = 16. X-ray data were obtained by step-scanning, stored in a computer, corrected with the Lorentz and polarization factors and then fitted with a deconvolution programme. The layer charge was determined from the uncorrected, the corrected and the fitted diagrams, respectively. The evaluated confidence limits of ξ decreased in the same order revealing the vermiculite to be a high-charge type. The computed charge distribution of the smectite changed from an unlikely bimodal to a nearly symmetrical distribution.