what are zeolites

Zeolites are microporous, crystalline aluminosilicate materials that are commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts. They mainly consist of silicon, aluminum, and oxygen, and have the general formula Mnⁿ⁺ 1/n⁻ ₓ･yH ₂O where Mⁿ⁺ 1/n is either a metal. Zeolites occur naturally but are also produced industrially on a large scale. There are over 200 different minerals that have all kinds of interesting uses, from water softeners and cat litter to animal food and industrial catalysts. Zeolites have small openings of fixed size in them, which allow small molecules to pass through. They are solids with a relatively open, three-dimensional crystal structure built from the elements aluminum, oxygen, and silicon, with alkali or alkaline-Earth metals (such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium) plus water molecules trapped in the gaps between them. Zeolites form with many different crystalline structures, which have large open pores in a very regular arrangement and roughly the same size as small molecules. Zeolites are used in a variety of applications, including as catalysts, adsorbents, and in detergent for the removal of magnesium and calcium, thereby making the water softer and increasing the effectiveness of the detergent.