ʻo ka bentonite pālolo pauka kahi mineral non-metallic mineral me ka montmorillonite ma ke ʻano he mineral waiwai nui. ʻO ke ʻano o ka montmorillonite kahi ʻano aniani 2: 1 i haku ʻia i ʻelua tetrahedrons silikone-oxygen a me kahi papa o nā octahedrons alumini-oxygen. Aia kekahi mau cation i ke ʻano o ka papa, e like me Cu, Mg, Na, K, a me nā mea āpau, a me ka pilina o kēia mau cation me ka cell montmorillonite pūnaewele paʻa ʻole, a maʻalahi e kūʻai ʻia e nā cations ʻē aʻe, no laila he pānaʻi ion maikaʻi. Ua noi ʻia nā ʻāina ʻē ma nā ʻoihana he 100 a ʻoi loa ma nā wahi 24 o ka hana ʻenehana a me ka mahiʻai, a aia ma mua o 300 mau huahana, no laila ua kapa ʻia ka poʻe he "lepo āpau."