Qualitative investigation of nontronite clay interlayer water via ATR-FTIR

ANYL 104

J. Ryan Bailey and Molly M. McGuire, mmcguire@bucknell.edu. Department of Chemistry, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837
The conversion of clay colloid ATR-FTIR absorption spectra into absorptivity coefficient spectra/refractive index spectra allows for the qualitative study of interlayer water and acid-base activity. The absorption spectra are converted into the absorptivity coefficient/refractive index spectra via the Subtractive Kramers-Kronig Transform (SKK) in a computer program written in Matlab 7. The use of polarized radiation allows for anchor point determination through a ratio of the s- and p-polarized absorption spectra. Reducing the Fe3+ in the clay leads to an increase in Lewis acidity of the interlayer as the increase in electron density on the clay gives rise to an increased aggregation of cations. This leads to changes in the organization and hydrogen bonding of the water molecules in this interlayer resulting in a shift in the absorptivity coefficient spectra.
 

General Papers
7:00 PM-9:00 PM, Sunday, 10 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Analytical Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006