MECHANOCHEMICAL ADSORPTION OF PHENOL BY TOT SWELLING CLAY-MINERALS I - THERMO-IR-SPECTROSCOPY AND X-RAY STUDY

The mechanochemical adsorption of phenol by laponite, saponite, montmo rillonite, beidellite and vermiculite was studied by IR and X-ray spec troscopy. Mixtures containing phenol and clay in the ratio of 6:10 wer e manually ground by a mortar and pestle for 1, 3, 5 and 10 min and th e ground mixtures were investigated. Depending on the basicity of the clay mineral and the time of grinding, two different associations betw een interlayer cations, water and phenol were identified. In these ass ociations phenol can act either as a proton acceptor or donor (Configu rations I and II, respectively). The phenol is more acidic than water and in most cases phenol acts as a proton donor. With montmorillonite and beidellite phenol acts as a proton acceptor. In this association t he aromatic ring forms pi bonds with atoms of the oxygen planes of the tetrahedral sheers which donate electrons to the anti-bonding pi orbi tals of the phenol.