Studies of cation-anion interactions on the 001 surface of muscovite

Abstract

This investigation was carried out to further the knowledge of the surface chemistry of the 001 face of muscovite. An effort was made to develop several new techniques with which to examine systems of this type. A detailed study of the kinetics of the adsorption of P-32 orthophosphate on to several different muscovite/cation-anion surface systems was made. From the results of this study, a technique for studying the surface chemistry of anions which cannot be obtained in high specific activity was developed. A radioautographic technique was developed to study the uniformity of the adsorption of radioactive species on to the 001 surface of muscovite. This technique could be applied to the study of the adsorption of radioactive species on to other surface systems. This technique permitted the study of the relative amounts of P-32 orthophosphate adsorbed on to the 001 face of a piece of muscovite, where different areas of the surface had been treated differently. An attempt was made to develop a technique for the continuous study of the adsorption of a radioactive species on to the 001 face of muscovite. This technique when used with S-35 sulphate was shown to have inherent difficulties resulting from a high background count rate, and poor statistics, which severly limited its possible applications. Despite these restrictions, some interesting results were obtained, indicating that there was a difference in both the amounts, and the rates of adsorption of different radioactive anions on to the same surface systems. A study was made of the surface chemistry of iodide adsorbed on to the 001 face of muscovite. A method for the preparation of iodate of high specific activity was demonstrated, so that a similar study of the surface chemistry of this anion might be undertaken. The general phenomena of anions on to a solid-liquid surface system was studied, using P-32 orthophosphate and S-35 sulphate as the absorbants, and the 001 face of muscovite as the solid surface. The kinetics of adsorption were found to depend on the following experimental perameters:- (a) The anion of the salt solution from which the muscovite surface was prepared. (b) The cation of the salt solution from which the muscovite surface system was prepared. (c) The ionic strength of the adsorption solution. (d) The length of time for which the muscovite surface system was prepared. (e) The presence of other anions in the adsorption solution. (f) The drying of the muscovite surface system. (g) The anion which is used as the adsorbant.