Molecular sieves are commonly used for water removal. This process is called ‘desiccation’ (and the molecular sieves themselves are thus called ‘desiccants’).
The term “molecular Sieve” itself is not a chemical name, but only a descriptor of what the chemical does. In the case of Molecular Sieve, this means that this chemical has the effect of ‘sieving out’ one molecular, when exposed to a mixture of several different molecules. For example, in a simple scenario where we have a have a mixture of just two different types of molecules: ethanol and water, if we expose this mixture to a Molecular Sieve such as 3A SUPERSIV, then we can sieve-out the water from the mixture, and what remains is a pure form of ethanol. Such selectivity makes molecular sieve very useful for chemists preforming industrial processes for the production of pure chemicals
In terms of sieving-out water (the process of desiccation), there are three physical formats of Molecular Sieves that one can use: Powder, Paste, and/or Beads. Why you would use one of these formats and not the other two, for your own application, is probably a conversation best had with one of our Expert Advisors. Therefore, I would encourage you to speak to them here. This will probably get you to where you want to go quickly and simply…
(…without having to read 15 text-books on ‘Molecular Sieve Chemistry’ ! 😉)
To receive a free sample of Molecular Sieve Powder, then please click on the link here
To receive a free sample of Molecular Sieve Paste, then please click on the link here
To receive a free sample of Molecular Sieve Beads, then please click on the link here
Finally, if you are wondering; “is better to use Molecular Sieves or Zeolites to remove water?”, then don’t worry – because they’re both the same thing! [NB: It’s better to use the latter term ‘Zeolites’ because ‘molecular sieve’ only describes their function, and not the chemical nature of their composition. The most common Molecular Sieves are made from synthetic aluminosilicate zeolite crystals, so it’s probably better to refer to them as ‘Zeolites’].
For further reading, on associated topics, please see the list below:
– Zeolite 3A for sale
– Molecular Sieve vs Silica Gel
– Molecular Sieve 3A
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