Concentration of Dioctahedral Mica and Vermiculite using a Fluoride Solution

A Solution containing fluoride (0.4 n NH4F, 0.1 n HCl, n NH4Cl), permits the concentration of dioctahedral mica and dioctahedral vermiculite in mixed clay systems. Allophane, halloysite, kaolinite, and in particular, Mg-rich montmorillonite, biotite, and vermiculite of clay size, are destroyed in 24–48 hr at room temperature. A salt-free, NH4-saturated sample, weighing 80 mg, is shaken in 80 ml of the fluoride solution. The residue is washed with water and X-ray diffraction patterns made. The method has use in characterizing some of the 2:1 layer silicates in clays. Anatase, if present, is also concentrated and is more positively identified by X-ray diffraction.