Significance and Use

Zeolite NaA has been used as an active component in molecular sieves employed as desiccants for natural gas, process gas streams, sealed insulated windows, and as a builder (water softener) in household laundry detergents.

This X-ray procedure is designed to allow a reporting of the relative degree of crystallization of NaA in the manufacture of NaA. The relative crystallinity number has proven useful in technology, research, and specifications.

Drastic changes in intensity of individual peaks in the XRD pattern of NaA can result from changes in distribution of electron density within the unit cell of the NaA zeolite. The electron density distribution is dependent upon the extent of filling of pores in the zeolite with guest molecules, and on the nature of the guest molecules. In this XRD method, the guest molecule H2O completely fills the pores. Intensity changes may also result if some or all of the sodium cations in NaA are exchanged by other cations.

Drastic changes in overall intensity can result from changes in X-ray absorption attributed to non-crystalline phases, if present, in a NaA sample. If non-zeolite crystalline phases are present, their diffraction peaks may overlap with some of the NaA diffraction peaks selected for this test method. If there is reason to suspect the presence of such components, then NaA peaks free of interference should be chosen for analysis.