Hydrous oxides and their cation exchange properties—II Structure and equilibrium experiments

Abstract

The structure of two cation exchangers, hydrous thorium oxide (THO) and hydrous titanium oxide (TiHO), were studied by thermogravimetric measurements, i.r. spectra and X-ray diffraction. The data suggest that the exchangers have the general formula MeO(OH) 2 nH 2O, are amorphous at room temperature and lose weight on heating due to loss of interstitial and chemically-bound water. The steep decrease in capacity of THO samples at high temperature is due to the beginning of crystallization. Distribution coefficients have been evaluated for a series of cations with both exchangers.