抄録
Zeolites were discovered in 1756 by Cronstedt and first studied as a cation exchange materials which consist of the hydrated aluminosilicates containing alkali and alkaline earth cations. Fourty kinds of naturally occurring zeolites and a hundred and fifty kinds of synthetic ones have been reported so far. Zeolites are mainly used as catalyst, dehydrating agent, adsorbent and so on. Synthetic zeolites play an important role in the fields of catalytic cracking which holds the greatest demand, petroleum refining and petroleum chemistry. However, only a few of the many kinds have been used practically.
Recently, Mobil Oil Corp. has developed a number of new highly siliceous zeolites, designated “ZSM series”. In relation to the problems of energy in these days, the successful industrial applications of ZSM-5 in the series have generated intense interest in the synthetic fuel and the hydrocarbon chemicals from alcohols, CO-H2 mixtures or biomasses.
From such a view-point, the present papor reviewed the synthesis and the physical, chemical and catalytic properties of ZSM zeolites and the general hystory of zeolites in addition to those, and the shape-selective catalytic properties of ZSM-5 were in particular discussed through comparison with those of classical zeolites.
