What Is Zeolite?
Minerals can combine and show up in nature in a number of different forms. They can bind together to create unique compounds or be found in their pure form in different geographical or environmental locations. One of the materials they can form is a zeolite. These are rarely found in their own pure form in nature, but can still be an interesting occurrence to study and a useful tool for a number of applications.
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Identification
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Zeolites are not so easy to immediately identify because of the fact that they resemble simple rocks and crystals. Depending on how the specific zeolite was formed and what extra minerals are thrown into it, it can look like a simple whitewashed rock or a clear quartz-like crystal. When you look at a zeolite up close using a microscope you will notice that whatever it looks like, its surface will be covered in tiny holes or pores.
Features
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These pores, which are actually called micro-pores because they are smaller than 2 nanometers in diameter, are the main features of a zeolite. All zeolites are aluminosilicate minerals. This means that they are minerals composed of aluminum, oxygen, and silicon. The tiny pores in zeolite make it the perfect material for other elements to build up. Some of these include magnesium, sodium and potassium.
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Types
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There are about 175 different kinds of zeolite in the world, 80 types of which are found naturally. The rest have been artificially produced based on the framework of the natural zeolites. All of these are composed in some degree of aluminum, silicon and oxygen, though the ratios of these may vary. Different zeolites will also contain other elements. Natrolite, for example, is composed of the three basic zeolite ingredients, but also water molecules and sodium. Other types of zeolites include chabazite, stilbite and analcime.
Geography
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Natural zeolites can be found in one of two different places. The first is where volcanic rock and ash have mixed together. When this mixture interacts with water that has a high pH level, making it alkaline water, zeolites are formed in rock-like formations. In shallow marine basins, zeolites can also crystallize, though this process takes thousands of years. The water is full of minerals that will alkalize over time and eventually form the microporous zeolite framework.
Function
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Zeolites have found use in a number of different fields and applied in various situations in them. Because of the tiny pores that they are made up of, they are perfect for trapping or filtering various elements and ions. In the home, they are commonly found as part of water filters. Chemsist also use zeolites to trap or filter certain molecules, since only very small ones can pass through a zeolite's pores. They are also used in soil purification and to trap solar rays in order to collect heat.
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