FTIR study of some Egyptian bentonitic clays

The miocene clay deposits at G. Hamza- G. Um Qamar off the Cairo Ismailia Road are texturally classified as silt bearing, clay-rich mudstones. X-Ray powder diffraction analysis indicates that the main clay minerals present are montmorillonite and kaolinite. Urn Qamar mudstones contain higher percentages of montmorillonite and lower proportions of Kaoloinite than those of G. Hamza. The IR absorption bands of these clay minerals in the OH and Si-O stretching regions, as well as those in the OH and Si-O bending regions have been studied in detail. The FTIR analysis indicates that Mg[II] and Fe [II] are present in minor amounts in the montmorillonite structure