Metachromasy in clay dye systems: the adsorption of acridine orange by Na-beidellite

Abstract

AbstractThe adsorption of the metachromic dye acridine orange (AO) by Na-beidellite was investigated by visible spectroscopy. Different types of clay-AO association were identified from the appearance and location of absorption bands α or β. The colloidal properties were determined from curves of the absorbance vs. the degree of saturation. Three regions were identified in the absorbance curve. In the first region beidellite is peptized with small amounts of AO and the dye penetrates into the interlayer space where it undergoes metachromasy due to π interactions between the aromatic entity and the oxygen plane of the clay. With larger amounts of AO (second region), the clay flocculates due to the aggregation of the dye cations in the interparticle space of the flocs. In excess AO (third region), beidellite is gradually peptized, forming small tactoids with monomeric AO in the interlayer space and at the same time adsorbing dimeric and polymeric AO cationic species at the solid-liquid interface. Compared with the other smectites, AO shows the greatest tendency to undergo metachromasy in the presence of beidellite.