Zeolite yog ib hom ntawm aluminosilicate compound nrog cubic ntxaij ntoo. Molecular sieve muaj ib lub qauv microporous lub cev, kab noj hniav inch ntawm nws cov teeb, qhov no yuav ua tau tshaj ntawm txoj kab nruab nrab ntawm cov kabmob me me adsorbed rau hauv cov kab noj hniav, thiab muaj qhov muaj feem xyuam rau cov adsorption muaj peev xwm ntawm polar molecules thiab unsaturated molecules, uas muaj peev xwm ua kom txawv degrees ntawm saturation degree, sib txawv ntawm molecular loj sib txawv molecular sib cais thiab lub ntsiab lus ntawm qhov sib txawv, uas yog "sieving" molecules, hu ua molecular sieve. Molecular sieves yog dav siv vim lawv muaj peev xwm adsorption siab, siab thermal stability thiab lwm yam zoo ntawm lwm cov adsorbents.
Nyob rau hauv lub tshav pob ntawm cov tshuaj lom macromolecules, cov pa Bio-Rad cov quav molecular sieves.
Los ntawm kho qhov kub thiab txias, American cov kws tshawb fawb tau tswj tau qhov loj ntawm lub qhov hauv ib titanium silicate cov khoom thiab tsim ib cov lus qhia tshiab lub cev molecular sieve. Qee cov muaj ntau cov microporous crystalline khoom hauv lub cev, molecular loj dua me me qhov yuav kis tau los ntawm, thaum loj molecules tsis kis tau, yog li koj tuaj yeem ua lub luag haujlwm ntawm kev sib cais molecular, hom khoom no hu ua molecular sieve.
Qhov tseeb, hauv xyoo 2001, cov kws tshawb fawb hauv cov ntaub ntawv "Science" hauv UK tau tshaj tawm tias lawv pom ib yam khoom hu ua ETS4 titanium silicate molecular sieve yuav siv tau zoo. Thaum qhov kub nce lawm, ETS4 yuav maj mam txo qhov loj ntawm micropores hauv lub cev qhuav dej. Nrog rau txoj kev no, qhov pore loj tuaj yeem kho me ntsis hauv qhov ntau ntawm 3 mus rau 4 angstroms (1 yog sib npaug ntawm ib billionth ntawm ib lub 'meter'). Cov kws tshawb fawb hais tias qee cov ntsiab lus xws li nitrogen, methane, oxygen, argon thiab dej molecules nyob rau hauv 3 qhov sib txawv rau 4 los yog li ntawd, tsis sib txawv sib txawv ntawm lwm qhov loj yuav cais tau lawv, ETS 4 ua los ntawm molecular sieve. Cov neeg tshawb nrhiav tau sim siv ETS4 los ntawm cov ntsiab lus ntawm nitrogen thiab methane hauv cov kua qaub ntawm nitrogen tsawg dua li ntawm 18% mus rau 5%, thiab sib cais ntawm argon thiab cov pa oxygen, nitrogen thiab cov pa oxygen hauv qhov kev sim tau zoo. Nws ntseeg tias qhov kev siv tshuab no yuav muaj cov kev lag luam tseem ceeb.