Hydrated sodium compounds intercalation

The dichalcogenides of group VI do not readily form intercalates with organic molecules. But n-alkylammonium compounds can be prepared by ion-exchange reactions of the hydrated sodium intercalation compounds such as Na j(H20)o g M0S2. Alkylammonium compounds prepared by this route show lattice expansions that depend on the alkyl chain length, very similar to the MX2-n-alkylamine systems described above. This raises the fundamental question whether protonated amines are the actual intercalated species in both the cases, involving reduction of the host. In fact, this constitutes the basis of the new model for the intercalation reaction in MX2 proposed by Schollhorn (1980). 

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