saponite

American  

[sap-uh-nahyt] / ˈsæp əˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a clay mineral, hydrous magnesium aluminum silicate, belonging to the montmorillonite group: found as a soft filling in rock cavities.

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saponite British  

/ ˈsæpəˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a clay mineral consisting of hydrated magnesium aluminium silicate and occurring in metamorphic rocks such as serpentine

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Etymology

Origin of saponite

1840–50; < Swedish saponit < Latin sāpōn- (stem of sāpō ) soap + Swedish -it -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Ménez and colleagues propose that saponite, an iron-containing clay mineral that they detected, and which is reported14 to be a catalyst for the synthesis of organic compounds and the reduction of N2 to ammonia, might be involved in tryptophan synthesis.

From Nature

Moreover, saponite has the potential to promote the formation of organic polymers15,16.

From Nature

Abiotic generation of a source of ammonia, together with saponite’s proposed catalysis of heterocyclic-amine molecules such as tryptophan, also raises the possibility of abiotic synthesis of other heterocyclic amines called pyrimidines and purines, which are components of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA.

From Nature