Zeolite

Natural zeolite with a U.S. penny for scale

Zeolites are microporous, aluminosilicate minerals. It is commonly used as commercial absorbants and catalysts.^[1] The name zeolite was given in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt. He called the material zeolite, from the Greek ζέω (zéō), meaning "to boil" and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone".^[2]

Occurrence

Natural zeolites form where volcanic rocks and ash react with alkaline groundwater. Zeolites found in nature are almost never pure. They are contaminated by other minerals, metals, quartz, or other zeolites.

Uses

Zeolites can be used in domestic and commercial water purification, water softening, and other uses. Zeolites were also found to help silver naturally emit light, which may compete with fluorescent lights or LEDs.^[3]

Zeolites can be used to store solar heat harvested from solar thermal collectors.^[4] The largest use for zeolite is the global laundry detergent market.

Zeolite Media

Microscopic structure of a zeolite (mordenite) framework, assembled from corner-sharing SiO₄ tetrahedra. Sodium is present as an extra-framework cation (in green). Si atoms can be partially replaced by Al or other tetravalent metals.
Zeolite Mordenite with some Si atoms substituted with Al atoms.
Three ways to represent the oxygen 4-membered ring structure of silicate compounds.
Comparison of framework structures of LTA-type zeolite (left) and FAU-type zeolite (right)
A form of thomsonite (one of the rarest zeolites) from India
Thomsonite-Ca*Locality: Thomsonite Beach, Grand Marais, Cook County, Minnesota, USA (Locality at mindat.org)*A STRIKING buffed specimen of a 1.6 cm, banded, birds-eye, thomsonite-lintonite nodule nicely set in am
natrolit, pochodzenie Polska, Gracza; autor zdjęcia Dagmara Lesiów; 20.o8.2006r
Extruded granules - NaX synthetic zeolite
A researcher at Sandia National Laboratories examines vials of SOMS (Sandia Octahedral Molecular Sieve), a zeolite that shows potential for radioactive waste and industrial metals cleanup.
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