zeolite

American  

[zee-uh-lahyt] / ˈzi əˌlaɪt /

noun

Mineralogy.

1. any of a group of hydrated silicates of aluminum with alkali metals, commonly occurring as secondary minerals in cavities in basic volcanic rocks: used for their molecular sieve properties because they undergo dehydration with little or no change in crystal structure.

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zeolite British  

/ ˈziːəˌlaɪt /

noun

1. any of a large group of glassy secondary minerals consisting of hydrated aluminium silicates of calcium, sodium, or potassium: formed in cavities in lava flows and plutonic rocks

2. any of a class of similar synthetic materials used in ion exchange and as selective absorbents See molecular sieve

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zeolite Scientific  

/ zē′ə-līt′ /

1. Any of a family of hydrous aluminum silicate minerals, whose molecules enclose cations of sodium, potassium, calcium, strontium, or barium. Zeolites are usually white or colorless, but they can also be red or yellow. They are characterized by their easy and reversible loss of water of hydration. They usually occur within cavities in basalt.

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Other Word Forms

• zeolitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of zeolite

1770–80; < Greek ze ( în ) to boil + -o- + -lite

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zeolite

Celestian, who used zeolite to reduce lead on a project in Vernon in 2022-23, estimated a 20-by-20-foot yard would need about 50 pounds, “but any amount will help.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025

That reaction also generates hydrogen peroxide, which is fed back into the zeolite to provide a source of oxygen for the conversion of methane to methanol.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2024

The novel catalyst consists of a crystalline material called a zeolite that contains silicon, aluminum, oxygen and nickel.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2024

But zeolite, a simple mineral with hitherto unknown hemostatic properties, saves their bacon every time.

From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2023

Dr. Clarke noticed among the pebbles near the Lake of Tiberias pieces of a porous rock resembling the substance called toadstone in England; its cavities were filled with zeolite.

From Palestine or the Holy Land From the Earliest Period to the Present Time by Michael Russell