[zee-uh-lahyt] 
| any of a group of hydrated silicates of aluminum with alkali metals, commonly occurring as secondary minerals in cavities in basic volcanic rocks: used for their molecular sieve properties because they undergo dehydration with little or no change in crystal structure. |
| ze·o·lite (zē'ə-līt') n. Any one of a family of hydrous aluminum silicate minerals, whose molecules enclose cations of sodium, potassium, calcium, strontium, or barium, or a corresponding synthetic compound, used chiefly as molecular filters and ion-exchange agents. [Swedish zeolit, from Greek zein, to boil (from its swelling and boiling under the blowpipe); see yes- in Indo-European roots.] |
əˌlaɪt