Because of their regular and reproducible structure, they behave in a predictable fashion. Zeolites were considered an obscure group of minerals with unique properties for almost 200 years, and Cronstedt was remembered primarily for discovering the element nickel. Adsorption - Zeolites are used to adsorb a variety of materials. This includes applications in drying, purification, and separation. They can remove volatile organic chemicals from air streams, separate isomers and mixtures of gases.
Zeolites can also be acid catalysts and can be used as supports for active metals or reagents.
They have also been used as oxidation catalysts. Synthetic zeolites are the most important catalysts in petrochemical refineries. They do this by exchanging the sodium in the zeolite for the calcium and magnesium present in the water. The framework aluminum and silicon are bound to each other through shared oxygen atoms. The net negative charge is balanced by cations that are present during the synthesis.