Clay minerals and the origin of life

The Origin of High-alumina Clay Minerals --a Review

High-alumina minerals refer, in this paper, to Al-rich, normal sedimentary phases, including gibbsite, boehmite, diaspore, possibly "proto-diaspore" and "proto-alunite", "Al-chlorite", and corundum, in association with kaolin minerals. They may be derived from any common Al-containing rock. Processes of origin include direct bauxitization of non-clay silicate minerals and rocks, and the desilic...

Clay Minerals and Catalysis

More than half a century ago, Irish physicist John Desmond Bernal and Swiss geochemist Victor M. Goldschmidt independently proposed that clay minerals may have played an important role in prebiotic synthesis (Bernal 1949; Goldschmidt 1952). I concur that mineral catalysis must have had a central role in prebiotic synthesis because most uncatalyzed reactions start from simple precursors like hyd...

Origin and Distribution of Clay Minerals in Calcareous, Gypsiferous, Saline Soils and Sediments of Bakhtegan Lake Bank, Southern Iran

Pedogenesis and clay mineralogy of soils and rock samples were studied in a transect of calcareous, gypsiferous, saline soils and sediments of Bakhtegan lake bank in southern Iran. The main objectives of study were to determine the occurrence of clay minerals and factors controlling their distribution pattern and relative abundance in soils and parent materials. The soil parent material is high...

“the effect of risk aversion on the demand for life insurance: the case of iranian life insurance market”

abstract: about 60% of total premium of insurance industry is pertained?to life policies in the world; while the life insurance total premium in iran is less than 6% of total premium in insurance industry in 2008 (sigma, no 3/2009). among the reasons that discourage the life insurance industry is the problem of adverse selection. adverse selection theory describes a situation where the inf...

Clay and non-clay minerals in the pharmaceutical industry