Zeolites

You may not have heard of a zeolite, but you more than likely have some in your own home right now. A natural form of zeolite is actually clay. What makes a zeolite special is its structure allowing it to do some pretty neat things.

The following activities will help you discover the properties and some uses of zeolites. We hope you enjoy these activities and do them together as a family.

Activities

Detergent vs. Soap
Why do we was our clothes using detergent and our hands using soap? There are actually some fundamental differences between the two. In this activity, you can discover why detergent is used for washing clothes while soap is not.

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Investigating How Surface Area Affects Cake's Ability to Absorb Gelatin
What is surface area? On a cake, the surface area would be the amount of the cake you need to frost. If you were to poke holes in the cake, what would that do? In this activity, you can make a tasty cake that examines what a change in surface area can do!

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Modeling Zeolites
What do zeolites look like? Zeolites have a very special structure that gives them the ability to do many special things. In this activity, you can recreate that structure at home so you can see if up close and see how they work!

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Absorbing Ammonia
What are zeolites used for? The special properties of zeolites allow them to be creatively used for many things. For example, harmful ammonia in water can be removed using zeolites! Using this activity, you can remove ammonia from water at home!

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Using Zeolites as Fertilizer
What else are zeolites used for? Zeolites can also be used as fertilizer! In this activity, you can observe in your own home the use of zeolites as a fertilizer. You get to act just like a "real" scientist and experiment with zeolites in soil!

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