A knowledge of clay is important in many spheres of scientific endeav our, particularly in natural sciences such as geology, mineralogy and soil science, but also in more applied areas like environmental and mater ials science. Over the last two decades research into clay mineralogy has been strongly influenced by the development and application of a num ber of spectroscopic techniques which are now able to yield information about clay materials at a level of detail that previously would have seemed inconceivable. This information relates not only to the precise characterization of the individual clay components themselves, but also to the ways in which these components interact with a whole range of absorbate molecules. At present, however, the fruits of this research are to be found principally in a somewhat widely dispersed form in the scientific journals, and it was thus considered to be an appropriate time to bring together a compilation of these spectroscopic techniques in a way which would make them more accessible to the non-specialist. This is the primary aim of this book. The authors of the various chapters first describe the principles and instrumentation of the individual spectro scopic techniques, assuming a minimum of prior knowledge, and then go on to show how these methods have been usefully applied to clay mineralogy in its broadest context.

As the human population grows from seven billion toward an inevitable nine or 10 billion, the demands on the limited supply of soils will grow and intensify. Soils are essential for the sustenance of almost all plants and animals, including humans, but soils are virtually infinitely variable. Clays are the most reactive and interactive inorganic compounds in soils. Clays in soils often differ from pure clay minerals of geological origin. They provide a template for most of the reactive organic matter in soils. They directly affect plant nutrients, soil temperature and pH, aggregate sizes and strength, porosity and water-holding capacities. This book aims to help improve predictions of important properties of soils through a modern understanding of their highly reactive clay minerals as they are formed and occur in soils worldwide. It examines how clays occur in soils and the role of soil clays in disparate applications including plant nutrition, soil structure, and water-holding capacity, soil quality, soil shrinkage and swelling, carbon sequestration, pollution control and remediation, medicine, forensic investigation, and deciphering human and environmental histories. Features: Provides information on the conditions that lead to the formation of clay minerals in soils Distinguishes soil clays and types of clay minerals Describes clay mineral structures and their origins Describes occurrences and associations of clays in soil Details roles of clays in applications of soils Heavily illustrated with photos, diagrams, and electron micrographs Includes user-friendly description of a new method of identification To know soil clays is to enable their use toward achieving improvements in the management of soils for enhancing their performance in one or more of their three main functions of enabling plant growth, regulating water flow to plants, and buffering environmental changes. This book provides an easily-read and extensively-illustrated description of the nature, formation, identification, occurrence and associations, measurement, reactivities, and applications of clays in soils.

This third edition of the Encyclopedia of Spectroscopy and Spectrometry, Three Volume Set provides authoritative and comprehensive coverage of all aspects of spectroscopy and closely related subjects that use the same fundamental principles, including mass spectrometry, imaging techniques and applications. It includes the history, theoretical background, details of instrumentation and technology, and current applications of the key areas of spectroscopy. The new edition will include over 80 new articles across the field. These will complement those from the previous edition, which have been brought up-to-date to reflect the latest trends in the field. Coverage in the third edition includes: Atomic spectroscopy Electronic spectroscopy Fundamentals in spectroscopy High-Energy spectroscopy Magnetic resonance Mass spectrometry Spatially-resolved spectroscopic analysis Vibrational, rotational and Raman spectroscopies The new edition is aimed at professional scientists seeking to familiarize themselves with particular topics quickly and easily. This major reference work continues to be clear and accessible and focus on the fundamental principles, techniques and applications of spectroscopy and spectrometry. Incorporates more than 150 color figures, 5,000 references, and 300 articles for a thorough examination of the field Highlights new research and promotes innovation in applied areas ranging from food science and forensics to biomedicine and health Presents a one-stop resource for quick access to answers and an in-depth examination of topics in the spectroscopy and spectrometry arenas

The advancement of human civilization has been intimately associated with the exploitation of raw materials. In fact the distinction of the main historical eras is based on the type of raw materials used. Hence, passage from the Paleolithic and Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age is characterized by the introduction of basic metals mainly copper, zinc and tin in human activities; the Iron Age is marked by the use of iron as the predominant metal. The use of metals has increased and culminated with the industrial revolution in the mid-eighteenth century, which marked the onset of the industrial age in the western world. Since then the importance of metals has gradually been surpassed by industrial minerals in the industrialized countries. Industrial minerals are raw materials used by industry for their physical and/or chemical properties. Characterization of industrial minerals is important for their assessment and can be demanding and often complicated. This new volume, co-published by the European Mineralogical Union and the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain & Ireland, is based on papers presented at an EMU-Erasmus IP School which was held in the Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece. The aim of the School was to describe advances in some of the analytical methods used to characterize industrial minerals and to propose additional methods which are currently not used for this purpose.

The first general texts on clay mineralogy and the practical applications of clay, written by R.E. Grim, were published some 40-50 years ago. Since then, a vast literature has accumulated but this information is scattered and not always accessible. The Handbook of Clay Science aims at assembling the scattered literature on the varied and diverse aspects that make up the discipline of clay science. The topics covered range from the fundamental structures (including textures) and properties of clays and clay minerals, through their environmental, health and industrial applications, to their analysis and characterization by modern instrumental techniques. Also included are the clay-microbe interaction, layered double hydroxides, zeolites, cement hydrates, genesis of clay minerals as well as the history and teaching of clay science. No modern book in the English language is available that is as comprehensive and wide-ranging in coverage as the Handbook of Clay Science.In providing a critical and up-to-date assessment of the accumulated information, this will serve as the first point of entry into the literature for both newcomers and graduate students, while for research scientists, university teachers, industrial chemists, and environmental engineers the book will become a standard reference text.* Presents contributions from 66 authors from 18 different countries who have come together to produce the most comprehensive modern handbook on clay science* Provides up-to-date concepts, properties, and reactivity of clays and clay minerals in a one-stop source of information* Covers classical and new environmental, industrial, and health applications of clays, as well as the instrumental techniques for clay mineral analysis* Combines geology, mineralogy, crystallography with physics, geotechnology, and soil mechanics together with inorganic, organic, physical, and colloid chemistry for a truly multidisciplinary approach

Mössbauer Spectroscopy of Environmental Materials and their Industrial Utilization provides a description of the properties of materials formed on the earth's surface, their synthetic analogs where applicable, and the products of their modifications in the course of natural processes, such as weathering, or in industrial processing as reflected in their Mössbauer spectra. Particular emphasis is placed on the way in which these processes can be observed and elucidated through the use of Mössbauer spectroscopy. The first chapter covers the basic theory of the Mössbauer effect and Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the nuts and bolts of experimental Mössbauer spectroscopy. The principles of these first three chapters, illustrated with many case studies, are applied to different areas of interest in Chapters 4 through 12. The book is directed to a broad audience ranging from graduate students in environmental sciences or chemical engineering with little or no expertise in Mössbauer spectroscopy to researchers from other disciplines who are familiar with this technique but wish to learn more about possible applications to environmental materials and issues.

Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Material Science covers significant advances in the technological aspects and applications of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques used in the Earth and Materials Sciences. The current volume compliments the now classic Volume 18, Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Geology, which became an essential resource to many scientists and educators for the past two decades. This volume updates techniques covered in Volume 18, and introduces new techniques available for probing the secrets of Earth materials, such as X-ray Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy. Other important topics including Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) are also covered.