Zeolites early mineralogy

Hydrothermal zeolites were considered for long time mineralogical curiosities and their beautiful, euhedral, sometimes coloured, crystals had certainly prominent positions in private and public mineral collections. But, in the same time, their "strange" properties attracted the attention of scientists, who started investigations on their physical-chemical studies very early [3],... 

The concept of natural zeolite and the connected classification underwent numerous changes in the last seventy years. The first definition, taking care not only of the physical-chemical behaviour, but also of the peculiar structure, is due to Hey in the early 1930s [22]. Further proposals on this subject were made by Smith [23] and Liebau [24], but the discovery of new minerals having only partly the structural features, the chemistry and the properties of the "traditional" zeolites, made necessary the redefinition of the term "zeolite" and the proposition of novel nomenclature rules. A Committee was constituted for this in 1993 by the International Mineralogical Association. After a capillary work lasted about five years a Report was produced on the Recommended nomenclature for zeolite minerals [25]. 

Thermal analysis techniques have been applied to almost every science area, from archaeology to zoology, and to every type of substance, from alabaster to zeolites. Indeed, it is difficult to find an area of science and technology in which the techniques have not been applied. This truly universal use of thermal analysis is consistent with its early history in. for example, clays, mineralogy, metallurgy, and inorganic substances. 

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