Hectorite is the Mg- and Li-rich trioctahedral member of the smectite group. It has the ideal chemical composition of (M+y . nH2O)(Mg3-yLiy)Si4O10(OH)2 where M is the exchangeable cation, y is the Li content, and n is variable. The M (interlayer) cation is assumed here as univalent, but it may have other valence states also. F substitution for (OH) has been documented. Stacking of natural samples is generally turbostratic. Fluorohectorite, with M = Na, K, Rb, and Cs and with y = 0.5 was synthesized by Breu et al. (2003), and the well-ordered, one-layer structure of the Cs phase was determined (space group C2/m, 1M polytype).
Cf., swinefordite