Acid Dissolution of Chlorites: Release of Magnesium, Iron and Aluminum and Mode of Acid Attack

Abstract The acid dissolution of 8 chlorites in 2N Si-saturated HCl showed that there was no preferential dissolution of Al in octahedral positions and that the octahedral and tetrahedral sheets in the chlorite structure were equally attacked. An analysis of chemical data suggested a simple two-dimensional diffusion model in which the acid attack on the chlorite particles proceeded from the edges inward leaving a reacted layer which formed a diffusion barrier. Microscopic examination showed, however, that the acid attack was not simply an edge attack but started at any point where cracks, structural defects and weaknesses apparently predisposed sites to acid attack. It was also clear from the formation of etch figures and solution channels that the product layer at least partially dissolved or disintegrated during the progress of acid attack. The residue which remained after acid attack appeared to be an opaline amorphous hydrated silica as was indicated by index of refraction measurements. The orderly arrangement of etch figures on flakes of some chlorites reflected certain crystal symmetry elements. The results indicate that the acid dissolution technique to determine the ratio of Al in octahedral and tetrahedral positions can not be used as an aid in the calculation of structural formulae for chlorites.