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Reference.org
Molecular sieve
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<p>A molecular sieve is a material with <a href="/facts/Pore_(material)/UoyAJU8X">pores</a> (voids or holes), having uniform size comparable to that of individual <a href="/facts/Molecule/N9ljSfFq">molecules</a>, linking the interior of the solid to its exterior. These materials embody the molecular sieve effect, the preferential sieving of molecules larger than the pores. Many kinds of materials exhibit some molecular sieves, but <a href="/facts/Zeolite/SNrXy4v2">zeolites</a> dominate the field. Zeolites are almost always <a href="/facts/Aluminosilicate/3gclsh2j">aluminosilicates</a>, or variants where some or all of the Si or Al centers are replaced by similarly charged elements. </p>