A kaolinite-NMF-methanol intercalation compound as a versatile intermediate for further intercalation reaction of kaolinite

A kaolinite-organic intercalation compound containing methanol was proved to be a versatile host for further displacement reaction with alkylamines. Kaolinite-organic intercalation compounds with polar molecules, such as N-methylformamide (NMF) and formamide, were used as the starting materials. After stirring the kaolinite-NMF intercalation compound with methanol, the basal spacing increased to 1.11 nm. The ¹³C MAS NMR result of the product indicated that methanol was intercalated into kaolinite by partial displacement with NMF. By use of the methanol-treated kaolinite intercalation compound as the intermediate, alkylamines were intercalated into the interlayer space of kaolinite by displacing with methanol.