What is a Zeolite?

The classical definition of a zeolite is a crystalline, porous aluminosilicate. However, some relatively recent discoveries of materials virtually identical to the classical zeolite, but consisting of oxide structures with elements other than silicon and aluminum have stretched the definition. Most researchers now include virtually all types of porous oxide structures that have well-defined pore structures due to a high degree of crystallinity in their definition of a zeolite.

In these crystalline materials we call zeolites, the metal atoms (classically, silicon or aluminum) are surrounded by four oxygen anions to form an approximate tetrahedron consisting of a metal cation at the center and oxygen anions at the four apexes. The tetrahedral metals are called T-atoms for short, and these tetrahedra then stack in beautiful, regular arrays such that channels form. The possible ways for the stacking to occur is virtually limitless, and hundreds of unique structures are known. Graphical depictions of several representative types are given under "Representative Structures".

The zeolitic channels (or pores) are microscopically small, and in fact, have molecular size dimensions such that they are often termed "molecular sieves". The size and shape of the channels have extraordinary effects on the properties of these materials for adsorption processes, and this property leads to their use in separation processes. Molecules can be separated via shape and size effects related to their possible orientation in the pore, or by differences in strength of adsorption.

Since silicon typically exits in a 4+ oxidation state, the silicon-oxygen tetrahedra are electrically neutral. However, in zeolites, aluminum typically exists in the 3+ oxidation state so that aluminum-oxygen tetrahedra form centers that are electrically deficient one electron. Thus, zeolite frameworks are typically anionic, and charge compensating cations populate the pores to maintain electrical neutrality. These cations can participate in ion-exchange processes, and this yields some important properties for zeolites. When charge compensating cations are "soft" cations such as sodium, zeolites are excellent water softeners because they can pick up the "hard" magnesium and calcium cations in water leaving behind the soft cations. When the zeolitic cations are protons, the zeolite becomes a strong solid acid. Such solid acids form the foundations of zeolite catalysis applications including the important fluidized bed cat-cracking refinery process. Other types of reactive metal cations can also populate the pores to form catalytic materials with unique properties. Thus, zeolites are also commonly used in catalytic operations and catalysis with zeolites is often called "shape-selective catalysis".

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