Zeolites

Abstract

Zeolites are natural materials that have surrounded us since the beginnings of the history of mankind. They may have been used by ancient man instinctively; however, their use is only documented from about the middle of the 18th century. They became the wonder materials of the 20th century, and remain so in our time as well. Their secret lies in their porous structure, the wide variety of their three-dimensional channel system, and the diversity of their pore size, reaching nanometer dimensions. Their synthesized varieties have many applications, as described in this chapter, but perhaps the most important is their use as catalysts. Indeed, their use in acid-catalyzed isomerization of straight-chain hydrocarbons to produce high-octane gasoline has shaped our world and generated much wealth. However, this is not their only catalytic application; their tunable structural features and the constrained environment they provide allow their use in catalysis of many types of reactions, tremendously influencing the selectivities of transformations.