Reference phyllosilicates (Ni-talcs and chrysocolla) have been synthesized with the aim of identifying supported layered silicates in the preparation of Ni/SiO₂ and Cu/SiO₂ materials. The analysis of temperature programmed reduction (TPR) profiles and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of talc synthesized at different temperatures shows a strong influence of the crystallinity of the Ni silicate on its reducibility. Chrysocolla remains ill-crystallized whatever the temperature of synthesis. The reducibility of the two silicates is discussed in terms of the structure of the silicate and the reducibility of the transition metal-ion. The asymmetric shape of the TPR curves of Ni-talcs is interpreted on the basis of the phase-boundary controlled model and the presence of a heterogeneous particle size distribution. The results emphasize the role of the crystallinity and show that the identification of supported silicate phases from TPR only may not be reliable.