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molecular sieve

noun

, Chemistry.
  1. a compound with molecule-size pores, as some sodium aluminum silicates, that chemically locks molecules in them: used in purification and separation processes.


molecular sieve

noun

  1. chem a material that can absorb large amounts of certain compounds while not absorbing others and is thus suitable for use in separating mixtures
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of molecular sieve1

First recorded in 1925–30
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Example Sentences

Concentrators pull oxygen out of ambient air by forcing it under pressure through a “molecular sieve” filled with the mineral zeolite, which adsorbs nitrogen.

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