dissertation.  The dichotomy is certainly a provocative one in light of the balance of this presentation.  Nevertheless, there seem to be on the Web, nearly as many authoritative sources holding for the distinction, as there are neophyte opinions favoring the jumbled approach.More Uses
Bentonite as distinguished then, from Montmorillonite, on the basis of either a substantial Sodium or Calcium (from calcite, and gypsum) content, along with additional significant amounts of Iron ions and certain minerals such as feldspar and quartz, has in actuality different optimal uses.  It would seem that these mega-elements, as added ingredients, make Bentonite serve to be well-suited for:   
      a)    Use as a foundry sand, bleaching clay (Fuller's Earth), cleaning and filtering agent, an aid to effect water impedance, employment as an additive to ceramic materials, cement tiles, concrete, plaster, sheetrock and other forms of insulation, and agent in iron ore palletizing.
     b)    Providing colloidal benefits with application to such industries as cosmetics,  personal care products (suspending agent, gellant and binder), pharmaceutical, and household products (crayons, paste, shoe polish, paint thickener, etc.)
     c)    Water proofing and lubricating grease.
     d)    Additive in packaging and inks, and the making of jars, pails, drums, paper bags, copy paper, bulk bags and fiberboard containers, and
     e)    other such diverse and peculiar purposes including as an ingredient in cat litter, dynamite, and matches,
     One website suggests that commercial grade Bentonite may be represented as: SiO2= 61.3% and Al2O3= 19.8%,--quite different figures from the edible clay, Montmorillonite!Which would you rather eat?  
     There appears to be a consensus that both Bentonite and Montmorillonite have a vast array of properties and benefits with some cross-over into industrial and nutritional applications by both.  But given the preference by industry for Bentonite which would you rather eat?One “manufacturer” of Montmorillonite warns:Generally speaking, make sure the label on the clay you take says “Montmorillonite,” as Bentonites and other types of clay can contain overwhelming amounts of certain minerals that could pose potential danger to the system. Both Montmorillonite and Bentonite clays belong to the Smectite family,  …  however, Montmorillonite is purer, more complex clay with greater exchange capacities.  Its ability to adsorb and absorb toxins makes it the most preferred species of edible clay.   
     Furthermore, the method of preparation for market of Bentonite is vital.  An important study in Brazil indicated grinding was detrimental to Bentonite.
In addition to aggregation of the particles, large grinding times originated damage to the structure on the bentonite, interlayer collapse and Al-Mg remotion from octahedral sheet of near 30%. Nevertheless, the characteristic type of Montmorillonite remaining in the ground sample was preserved and the interlayer collapse was reversible after rehydration. Aggregation in thick particles reduced suspension viscosity.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0366-69132001000100002  
     With these views before us, two things come to mind:1)    If Bentonite is superior as an industrial agent, why waste valuable Montmorillonite to do what Bentonite does better?2)    If “pure” Montmorillonite is uniquely suited to assist agriculture and to benefit other organisms nutritionally, why would a serious formulator want to risk the effects of the added minerals that differentiate Bentonite?The intelligent approach would seem to be to use both minerals, respectively, for their strengths and not spend lots of money trying to eliminate some things from one, or adding them to the other.Back to Diatoms
The name diatom (pronounced “die-uh-tome”) comes from a Greek word diatomos that means “cut in half”, because the shells of diatoms have two overlapping, symmetrical halves.       The diatom is a member of Bacillariophyta found within the phylum of algae.
     There are something like 60,000 species of these algae presently known, but experts   estimate that there are more likely 10x – 100x this many unnamed species still being discovered.   http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photodiatom.html
 Diatoms are unicellular (single-celled) organisms that may live as individuals or survive more commonly in groups called colonies.  They still thrive in most all the waters of the Earth, both salt and fresh.  Diatoms form shells made out of the silica that they extract from the