|
Montmorillonite - Bentonite, as described above, and used by
ORGANIC MINED MINERALS are derived from the ancient deposits
of biologically transformed organic matter, when
prescription formulated along with other high grade select
minerals and humates, are probably the most important
substrate for interactions between water, the mineral world
and the biosphere. Montmorillonite
is a very soft
phyllosilicate mineral that
typically forms in microscopic
crystals, forming a
clay. It is named after
Montmorillon in
France. Montmorillonite, a
member of the smectite family, is a 2:1 clay, meaning that
it has 2 tetrahedral sheets sandwiching a central octahedral
sheet. The particles are plate-shaped with an average
diameter of approximately 1 micrometre. The particle
thickness is extremely small (~ 1 nm).
It is the main constituent of the
volcanic ash
weathering product,
bentonite.
Montmorillonite's
water content is variable
and it increases greatly in volume when it absorbs water.
Chemically it is hydrated sodium calcium aluminium magnesium
silicate hydroxide (Na,Ca)x(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2·nH2O.
Potassium, iron, and other cations are common substitutes,
the exact ratio of cations varies with source.
It is also used as a
soil additive to hold soil
water in drought prone soils, to the construction of earthen
dams and
levees and to prevent the
leakage of fluids.
Similar to other clays, montmorillonite swells with the
addition of water. However, some montmorillonite expand
considerably more than other clays due to water penetrating
the interlayer molecular spaces and concomitant adsorption.
The amount of expansion is due largely to the type of
exchangeable cation contained in the sample.
Montmorillonite has been used in
cosmetics and has reputed
therapeutic effects. Indeed over 200 cultures have used the
clay for medicinal purposes including the
Ancient Egyptians, the
Essenes and the pre-Aztec
Amargosians, and other
natives of
Mexico,
South America and
North America.
Montmorillonite is also used in animal feeds as an
anti-caking agent. Current research indicates that
montmorillonite or bentonite has the ability to
bind
mycotoxins in the digestive
system of animals as well as several
bacteria
in-vitro.
Montmorillonite was discovered in 1847 in
Montmorillon in the
Vienne prefecture of
France, but is found in
many locations world wide and known by other names. Other
modern discoveries include about 1830 by the French-Canadian
fur trapper
Emile Pascal atop the 8600
feet high
Big Horn Mountains in
Wyoming,
USA and as bentonite in
about 1890 and named by an American geologist for the one
time
Fort Benton (on the
Fort Benton Formation
geological
stratum) in the eastern
Wyoming
Rock Creek area.
Native Americans have
referred to the therapeutic clay as
Ee-Wah-Kee.
|
