Zeolite

Zeolite exhibited in the Estonian Museum of Natural History

Zeolite is a family of several microporous, crystalline aluminosilicate materials commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts.[1] They mainly consist of silicon, aluminium, oxygen, and have the general formula Mn+
1/n(AlO
2)−
(SiO
2)
x･yH
2O where Mn+
1/n is either a metal ion or H+.

The term was originally coined in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who observed that rapidly heating a material, believed to have been stilbite, produced large amounts of steam from water that had been adsorbed by the material. Based on this, he called the material zeolite, from the Greek ζέω (zéō), meaning "to boil" and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone".[2]

Zeolites occur naturally, but are also produced industrially on a large scale. As of December 2018, 253 unique zeolite frameworks have been identified, and over 40 naturally occurring zeolite frameworks are known.[3][4] Every new zeolite structure that is obtained is examined by the International Zeolite Association Structure Commission (IZA-SC) and receives a three-letter designation.[5]

  1. ^ "Zeolite Structure". GRACE.com. W. R. Grace & Co. 2006. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 8 Feb 2019.
  2. ^ Cronstedt AF (1756). "Natural zeolite and minerals". Svenska Vetenskaps Akademiens Handlingar Stockholm. 17: 120.
  3. ^ "Database of Zeolite Structures". iza-structure.org. International Zeolite Association. 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Minerals Arranged by the New Dana Classification". webmineral.com. Retrieved 8 Feb 2019.
  5. ^ "News from the Structure Commission". IZA Structure Commission. 2018. Retrieved 8 Feb 2018.