Molecular sieve

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A molecular sieve is a material containing tiny pores of a precise and uniform size that is used as an adsorbent for gases and liquids.

Molecules small enough to pass through the pores are adsorbed while larger molecules are not. It is different from a common filter in that it operates on a molecular level. For instance, a water molecule may be small enough to pass through while larger molecules are not. Because of this, they often function as a desiccant. A molecular sieve can adsorb water up to 22% of its own weight.

Often they consist of aluminosilicate minerals, clays, porous glasses, microporous charcoals, zeolites, active carbons, or synthetic compounds that have open structures through which small molecules, such as nitrogen and water can diffuse.

Molecular sieves are often utilized in the petroleum industry, especially for the purification of gas streams and in the chemistry laboratory for separating compounds and drying reaction starting materials. The mercury content of natural gas is extremely harmful to the aluminum piping and other parts of the liquefaction apparatus - silica gel is used in this case.

Methods for regeneration of molecular sieves include pressure change (as in oxygen concentrators), heating and purging with a carrier gas (as when used in ethanol dehydration), or heating under high vacuum.

[edit] Adsorption capabilities^[1][2]

• 3A (pore size 3 Å): Adsorbs NH₃, H₂O, (not C₂H₆), good for drying polar liquids.
• 4A (pore size 4 Å): Adsorbs H₂O, CO₂, SO₂, H₂S, C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₆, EtOH. Will not adsorb C₃H₈ and higher hydrocarbons. Good for drying nonpolar liquids and gases.
• 5A (pore size 5 Å): Adsorbs normal (linear) hydrocarbons to n-C₄H₁₀, alcohols to C₄H₉OH, mercaptans to C₄H₉SH. Will not adsorb isocompounds or rings greater than C₄.
• 10X (pore size 8 Å): Adsorbs branched hydrocarbons and aromatics. Useful for drying gases.
• 13X (pore size 10 Å): Adsorbs di-n-butylamine (not tri-n-butylamine). Useful for drying HMPA.