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, ˌziːəˈlɪtɪk /

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

“The level of zeolite dusting is similar to how you would dust a countertop with flour if you were rolling dough,” he said, noting he purchased zeolite in 25-pound tubs from Home Depot.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

To synthesize the zeolite catalyst, the researchers remove some atoms of aluminum and replace them with nickel.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

Zeolites can become amorphous when subjected to electron beam irradiation, but that damage is related to the composition of the zeolite, and the team found that some pollucite inclusions were stable in the electron beam.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

Lead cleanup: The Prospering Backyards project is treating yards in southeast Los Angeles County contaminated by a former battery recycling plant with zeolite, a porous, lead-trapping mineral, The Los Angeles Times reports.

From New York Times • May 3, 2023

Here would appear to be the distinction of subterraneous lava, in which zeolite and calcareous spar may be found, and that which has flowed from a volcano, in which neither of these are ever observed.

From Theory of the Earth, Volume 1 (of 4) by Hutton, James