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Measurement of the Specific Surface Area of Clays by Internal Reflectance Spectroscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

D. J. Mulla ,
P. F. Low  and
C. B. Roth
D. J. Mulla*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
P. F. Low
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
C. B. Roth
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
*
2Present address: Department of Agronomy and Soils, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164.
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Abstract

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The specific surface area, S, of a clay is commonly measured by the adsorption of ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGME); however, this method can be tedious and time consuming, especially if the clay is saturated with a monovalent, highly hydrated cation. An alternative method for measuring S was developed involving infrared internal reflectance spectroscopy. This method is based on the discovery that the ratio of R1, the reflectance of a clay-HOD mixture at the frequency of O-D stretching, to R2, the reflectance of the mixture at the frequency of H-O-D bending, is linearly related to S. The correlation coefficient between R1/R2 and S, as measured by the adsorption of EGME, was 0.995. Consequently, a calibration curve of R1/R2 versus S was constructed, and the measured values of R1/R2 for any clay-HOD mixture were referred to it for the determination of S. Results were obtained in triplicate in about an hour; hence, this method of determining S is more rapid and convenient than that involving the adsorption of EGME. Moreover, it applies to clays in a natural condition, i.e., swollen in water.

Keywords

Ethylene glycol monoethyl etherInfrared spectroscopyInternal reflectance spectroscopyMolar absorptivityMontmorilloniteSurface area
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 33 , Issue 5 , October 1985 , pp. 391 - 396
Copyright
Copyright © 1985, The Clay Minerals Society

Footnotes

1

Journal paper number 10,117.

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