Physical and Chemical Properties

A zeolite can be imagined like a house, where the structure (the doors, windows, walls and roof) is really the zeolite while the furniture and people are the water, ammonia and other molecules and ions that can pass in and out of the structure. The chain - like structures can be thought of like towers of high wire pylons. The sheet – like structures can be seen like large office buildings with the sheets analogous to the floors and very few walls between the floors. And the framework structures like houses with equally solid walls and floors. All these structures are still frameworks. These variations make the zeolite group very diverse, crystal habit – wise. Otherwise zeolites are typically soft to moderately hard, light in density, transparent to translucent and have similar origins. There are about 45 natural minerals that are recognized members of the Zeolite Group. In this chapter are presented the main physicochemical properties of zeolites in correlation with their structure. From this point of view there are three large families of zeolites: the natrolite group, the heulandite group and the chabazite group. For each zeolite families the main representing members are presented together with their properties.

Keywords: Natural mineral, zeolites structure, zeolites framework, zeolites physicochemical properties, ion exchange, zeolites families, natrolite group, heulandites group, chabazite group.