Synchrotron X-Ray Methods in Clay Science

The discovery of X-rays over 100 years ago and the subsequent discovery of X-ray diffraction 17 years later had a profound impact on almost all areas of the physical sciences. Clay Science is no exception. Modern concepts of clays are shaped to a great extent by information obtained from X-ray based techniques. The X-ray intensity obtainable from the sealed-tube laboratory X-ray sources used for most clay research, however, has not increased substantially from that available during Rontgen's time. The increasing availability of synchrotron X-ray sources that produce X-ray beams up to a billion times more intense than laboratory sources are opening up whole new areas of research in many different fields of science. The Clay Minerals Society workshop entitled 'Synchrotron X-ray Methods in Clay Science' was held prior to the 11th International Clay Conference on Saturday, June 14, 1997, at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The purpose of the workshop was to introduce clay scientists to the wide range of synchrotron-based techniques now available. This volume of the CMS Workshop Lectures includes papers by all but one of the workshop speakers. The authors were asked to provide tutorial introductions to the various techniques now available at synchrotron facilities. The first chapter gives an introduction to the synchrotrons, the properties of synchrotrons X-rays, and the jargon of this complex technology. The next eight chapters describe most of the techniques likely to be used by clay scientists. Topics include: X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray microprobe, X-ray microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and diamond anvil cell work, all with examples of applications to clays or closely related minerals. The final chapter explains how to obtain access to synchrotron facilities. The workshop also included a presentation on synchrotron-based Mossbauer spectroscopy, but unfortunately a chapter on this topic is not included.