Alkylammonium montmorillonites as adsorbents for organic vapors from air

Montmorillonite clays may be modified by the exchange of the inorganic interlayer cations with alkylammonium ions, resulting in a fixed internal porosity. The pore size and shape depend on the nature of the alkylammonium ion. A number of different ions were used to prepare adsorbents with varying properties, and these were examined for their potential application to sampling organic vapors in air. Characterization involved determination of nitrogen and water contents, surface area, interlayer spacing, thermal stability, and breakthrough volumes of organic vapors. The adsorbent that showed the most promise (tetramethylammonium montmorillonite (TMA)) was further evaluated for use as an adsorbent in both thermal- and solvent-desorable sampling systems.