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

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

This hybrid catalyst performs a two-step reaction in which zeolite converts methane to methanol, and then the enzyme converts methanol to formaldehyde.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024

Zhang performed infrared spectroscopy, revealing that nickel was typically isolated and bound by two silicon atoms in the zeolite framework.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 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

Stilbite, stil′bīt, n. a pearly and foliated variety of zeolite.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various