On the basis of this model, they have pointed out that the organic fraction of the surfactant modified clays with long alkyl chains behaves mechanistically as a partition medium, where clay mineral acts as the conventional adsorbent in the uptake of organic compounds. Adsorption of organics onto clay minerals may occur through ion exchange, protonation, hydrogen bonding and ion-dipole reactions. Partition occurs through the interaction of the organic solutes with the organic fraction of the organoclay. For SMB, the HDTMA surfactant evidently modifies interlayer spaces by close packing of the alkyl chains to create hydrophobic regions. Partition of the TCP into hydrophobic regions plays an important role in TCP uptake. The three chlorine atoms in the TCP structure reduce its energy of interaction with water, thereby decreasing
water solubility and allowing a significant hydrophobic interaction with the surface of SMB.