Gibbsitic

Gibbsitic [14762-49-3] Gibbs-Kelvin equation Gibbs phase rule Gibbs s phase rule Gibbs s theorem Gibbs-Thomson equation... 

A commercial process which uses hydrothermal leaching on a large scale is the Bayer process for production of aluminum oxide (see Aluminum compounds). This process is used to extract and precipitate high grade alurninum hydroxide (gibbsite [14762-49-3]) from bauxite [1318-16-7] ore. The hydrothermal process step is the extraction step in which concentrated sodium hydroxide is used to form a soluble sodium aluminate complex ... 

Reaction conditions depend on the composition of the bauxite ore, and particularly on whether it contains primarily gibbsite, Al(OH)2, or boehmite [1318-23-6] AlOOH. The dissolution process is conducted in large, stirred vessels or alternatively in a tubular reactor. The process originated as a batch process, but has been converted to a continuous one, using a series of stirred tank reactors or a tubular reactor. 

The CAS registry Hsts 5,037 aluminum-containing compounds exclusive of alloys and intermetaUics. Some of these are Hsted in Table 1. Except for nepheline and alunite in the USSR and Poland, bauxite is the raw material for all manufactured aluminum compounds. The term bauxite is used for ores that contain economically recoverable quantities of the aluminum hydroxide mineral gibbsite or the oxide—hydroxide forms boehmite and diaspore. 

Activation of bayerite [20257-20-9] and nordstrandite [13840-05-6] quaUtatively follows the pattern shown in Figure 4, but the transition sequence is eta-theta-alpha. The stmctures of these transition phases are somewhat different from those obtained from gibbsite, reflecting the differences in crystal stmcture of the hydroxides (16). 

Unrefined bauxite [1318-16-7] is also used as a precursor to low cost activated alumina because bauxites can contain as much as 90% gibbsite (dry basis). These materials represent the low cost, low performance end of the activated alumina spectmm of products, but they are stiU used in significant quantities. 

The term alumina hydrates or hydrated aluminas is used in industry and commerce to designate aluminum hydroxides. These compounds are tme hydroxides and do not contain water of hydration. Several forms are known a general classification is shown in Figure 1. The most weU-defined crystalline forms ate the trihydroxides, Al(OH) gibbsite [14762-49-3], bayerite [20257-20-9], and nordstrandite [13840-05-6], In addition, two aluminum oxide—hydroxides, AIO(OH), boelimite [1318-23-6] and diaspote [14457-84-2], have been clearly defined. The existence of several other forms of aluminum hydroxides have been claimed. However, there is controversy as to whether they ate truly new phases or stmctures having distorted lattices containing adsorbed or intedameUar water and impurities. 

Tire usual commercial method of preparation of gibbsite is by cry staUization from a supersaturated caustic aluminate, Na A102, solution. Seed gibbsite crystals are used. 

Fig. 2. Aluminum tiiliydroxides (a) coarse gibbsite from the Bayer process, x 100 (b) Schm h bayerite, x 10, 000.

Gibbsite usually contains several tenths of a percent of alkaU metal ions the technical product, precipitated from a sodium aluminate solution, contains up to 0.3% Na20 wliich carmot be washed out even using dilute HQ. Several authors (1,2) suggest that these alkaU ions are an essential component of gibbsite structure. 

Gibbsite is aii important technical product and world production, predominantly by the Bayer process, is more than 50 million metric tons aimuaHy. Alost (90%) is calcined to alumina [1344-28-1 j, Al202, to be used for aluminum production. Tlie remainder is used by the chemical industry as filler for paper, plastics, rubber, and as the starting material for the preparation of various aluminum compounds, alumina ceramics, refractories, polishing products, catalysts, and catalyst supports. 

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