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zeolite

[ zee-uh-lahyt ]

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.


zeolite

/ 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
“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


zeolite

/ 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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Derived Forms

  • zeolitic, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ze·o·lit·ic [zee-, uh, -, lit, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of zeolite1

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

Origin of zeolite1

c18: zeo-, from Greek zein to boil + -lite ; from the swelling up that occurs under the blowpipe
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Example Sentences

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.

A sediment core from one of Tikal's reservoirs also found that zeolite sand had been used in its construction.

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

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.

There was also a bit of trial and error to determine which type of zeolite would be best to soak up lead atoms, Celestian said.

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Zeno's paradoxZeph.