Paper Electrochromatography of Clay Minerals

Abstract

A MAJOR handicap in the study of clay minerals from soil systems is the lack of adequate methods for separating and quantitatively estimating individual minerals from clay mineral mixtures. Present success in the application of paper electrophoresis and paper chromatography to the study of complex organic mixtures suggests that such techniques also might prove promising in clay mineral studies. Although appearing theoretically promising, past electrophoresis studies of clay mineral suspensions have seemed to possess rather limited applicability1–4. Difficulties in obtaining and maintaining clear-cut separations of mineral mixtures have continually hampered clay mineralogists using such techniques. In an attempt to provide an improved technique for the separation and characterization of clay minerals from mineral mixtures, preliminary studies were undertaken on behaviour of the minerals under varying conditions of paper electrochromatography.