Bentonite, yomwe imadziwikanso kuti dongo la bentonite kapena dongo la montmorillonite, ndi dongo lachilengedwe lopangidwa ndi montmorillonite. Imadziwika chifukwa cha kuyamwa kwake madzi bwino, kutupa, komanso mphamvu yake yosinthira madzi. Dzina lakuti "Bentonite" limachokera ku dera la Benton ku Wyoming, USA, komwe dongo lapaderali linapezeka koyamba ndipo linatchulidwa polemekeza malo omwe linapezeka.

Bentonite imadziwika ndi luso lake lopanga ma gels ikakhala ndi madzi, zomwe zimapangitsa kuti ikhale yamtengo wapatali kwambiri m'mafakitale osiyanasiyana. Kapangidwe kake ka thupi ndi mankhwala kamathandiza kuti igwiritsidwe ntchito ngati gawo lofunikira pakubowola matope, kukulitsa kukhuthala kwawo, kuyimitsidwa, komanso kukhuthala. Mu makampani opanga mapepala, bentonite imagwira ntchito ngati chodzaza ndi chophikira, kukonza kuyera kwa mapepala, kusalala, komanso kusindikizidwa. Kuphatikiza apo, imapezeka mu metallurgy, ceramics, zodzoladzola, ndi zina zambiri, komwe ingafunike m'njira zosiyanasiyana komanso ndi zofunikira zinazake zogwirira ntchito.

Mtundu wa bentonite ukhoza kukhala woyera ndi wachikasu wopepuka mpaka mitundu yosiyanasiyana kuphatikizapo imvi, wobiriwira, pinki, bulauni, ndi wofiira, kutengera kuchuluka kwa chitsulo chake. Nthawi zambiri imakhala ndi utoto wonyezimira ngati sera, nthaka, kapena mafuta ndipo imapezeka m'mitundu yomasuka komanso yaying'ono. Mphamvu ya bentonite yothira madzi imakhudzidwa kwambiri ndi kukula kwa tinthu tating'onoting'ono ta bentonite, pomwe tinthu tating'onoting'ono timasonyeza kuti timathira madzi mwamphamvu.