Adsorption of benzidines and anilines on Cu- and Fe-montmorillonites studied by resonance Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract Resonance Raman spectroscopy has been used to observe the formation of cation radicals in the adsorption of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMBD), benzidine, N,Ndimethylaniline (DMA) and aniline on Na-, Cu- and Fe-montmorillonites. Cation radicals of benzidine and TMBD, and their dications were formed at acid sites on the montmorillonite surface, or through the reduction of Cu or Fe interlayer ions, and were adsorbed in the interlayer. Their structures are represented by biphenoquinone type structure, where the inter-ring CC bond and the ring C-N bond have double bond characters. It was demonstrated from Raman spectra that DMA and aniline adsorbed on Cu-montmorillonite from the vapour phase dimerize to form TMBD and benzidine dications.