DESCRIPTION

Bentonite occurs commercially as powders ranging in colors and tints from off white to pale brown to gray depending on the cations present in natural deposits. It comprises natural smectite clays consisting primarily of colloidal hydrated aluminum silicates of the montmorillonite or hectorite type of minerals with varying quantities of alkalies, alkaline earths, and iron. It is insoluble in water, in alcohol, in dilute acids, and in alkalies. The pH of a 2% suspension of Bentonite is typically in the range of 4.5–10.5.