Zeolite properties are being studied by nearly every type of modern scientific discipline, and they are being utilized in many new chemical engineering processes. Important ad vances include detailed basic information on cations in zeo lites, more understanding of the mechanism of zeolite formation, the formation and character of structural defects and hydroxyl groups, the role of zeolite structure in adsorp tion and catalysis, and the increasing technology of the use of molecular sieve zeolites in catalysis and adsorption. 'Tihe discovery of synthetic crystalline zeolites has resulted in wide scientific interest and a great variety of applications in industry. The growth of scientific interest in zeolites may be measured by the increase in the number of related publications. From the early research on zeolite minerals in 1909 until 1969, over 4500 papers have been published in the open literature. The extensive interest is evidenced equally by over 1000 patents which have been issued in the United States alone. The funda mental properties and applications of molecular sieve zeolites involve many scientific disciplines and cross many of the traditional boundaries. Fields involved are inorganic and physical chemistry with emphasis on surface and colloid chemistry and catalysis, biochemistry, the geological sciences of geochemistry, geology, mineralogy, and physics, including crystallography, spectroscopy, and solid state physics. Applications in the engineering sciences include adsorption separa tions, hydrocarbon catalysis, and purifications. The molecular sieve zeo lites possess many unique properties which have resulted in their use in a great variety of applications such as hydrocarbon conversion catalysts, recovering radioactive ions from waste solutions, separating hydrogen isotopes, solubilizing enzymes, carrying active catalysts in the curing of plastics and rubber, transporting soil nutrients in fertilizers, and even filtering tars from cigarette smoke. Minato has presented an interesting review on industrial uses for mineral zeolites in Japan (65). Relatively 1 Downloaded by UNIV OF NEW ORLEANS on December 9, 2014 |