Hydrotalcite-like compounds [MgI − xAlx(OH)2]x+ [A2−x/2, mH2O]x−, where A2− is SO42− or CrO42− and x ≇ 0.25, were prepared by a coprecipitation method and their physico-chemical properties were studied by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, i.r. absorption spectra and acidity-basicity measurement.

The compounds including SO42− and CrO42− were analogous to an orthorhombic hydrotalcite and the lattice constants, a0 and c0 were 3.05 and 25.97 Å, and 3.05 and 26.48 Å, respectively. The crystallite size and strain in the 003 direction were 127 Å and 4.77 × 10−2 for the SO42− system or 83 Å and 6.60 × 10−2 for the CrO42− system, indicating a largely distorted microcrystallite. Two endothermic peaks observed at 240 and 455°C for the SO42− system and at 230 and 460°C for the CrO42− system are ascribed to the eliminations of interlayer water (mH2O) and structural water, respectively. The compound including SO42− formed MgO by calcination at 500°C and MgSO4 and MgAl2O4 by calcination at 800°C while the compound including CrO42− formed MgO at 400°C and MgAl2 − xCrxO4 at 800° I.r. study of the SO42− compound indicated that the bonding of SO42− was a bridge type. The highest acid and base strengths of the SO42− compound were H0 ≤ 1.5 and H− ≥ 12.2, the acidity and basicity being 0.3 and 0.1 mmol/g, respectively.