Arrangement and mobility of water in vermiculite hydrates followed by 1H NMR spectroscopy

The arrangement of water molecules in one- and two-layer hydrates of high-charged vermiculites, saturated with alkaline (Li(+), Na(+)) and alkali-earth (Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Ba(2+)) cations, has been analyzed with (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Two different orientations for water molecules have been found, depending on the hydration state and the sites occupied by interlayer cations. As the amount of water increases, hydrogen bond interactions between water molecules increase at expenses of water-silicate interactions. This interaction favors water mobility in vermiculites. A comparison of the temperature dependence of relaxation times T(1) and T(2) for one and two-layer hydrates of Na-vermiculite shows that the rotations of water molecules around C(2)-axes and that of cation hydration shells around the c-axis is favored in the two-layer hydrate. In both hydrates, the anisotropic diffusion of water takes place at room temperature, preserving the orientation of water molecules relative to the silicate layers. Information obtained by NMR spectroscopy is compatible with that deduced by infrared spectroscopy and with structural studies carried out with X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques on single-crystals of vermiculite.