Electron spin resonance studies of montmorillonites

Abstract

AbstractSixteen montmorillonites (8 normal and 8 abnormal using DTA dehydroxylation criteria) from the Gurasada bentonite deposits, Romania, were investigated by ESR. The spectra showed two features: a g = 4·3 signal attributed to isolated Fe3+ ions and a broad resonance with g ∼ 2·0 which was interpreted as arising from exchange interactions between clusters of Fe3+ ions. Additional experiments suggested that the latter resonance could have a structural component. The line-shape of the two resonances varied between normal and abnormal montmorillonites, indicating that the distribution of the Fe3+ ions between internal phase (montmorillonite lattice) and external phase (montmorillonite surface) was different for the two varieties.