Chemistry of clays and clay minerals /

This is unquestionably the most up-to-date work on clay and clay mineral chemistry. The 14 contributors, who are international experts in their respective fields, have presented a well-integrated volume. The chemical constitution and physical properties of clays and soil oxides, hydroxides and oxy-hydroxides are reviewed in depth in the first two chapters. Chapters 3 through 8 discuss the clay properties: dispersion and flocculation, cation exchange, interaction with water, catalytic behavior, thermal reactions, oxidation and reduction reactions, and reactions with organic substances. The final chapter treats the genesis of clays in terms of phase equilibria, emphasizing important differences in geologic environments and parent materials. High-quality illustrations and numerous tables of chemical data add considerably to the book's value. Both subject and author indexes are provided. This volume should be well received by students and professionals in the soil and geological sciences. It will provide an excellent supplementary textbook for undergraduate courses in soil chemistry and should be a standard reference for any students involved in soils, weathering, or alteration studies or research.-M.E. McCallum, Colorado State University