Molecular sieves, 4 Å

Choosing a Molecular Sieve:
1. The preferential adsorption of one molecule over another depends upon pore diameter and mesh size.
2. The dynamic capacity of the silica gel for adsorbing a particular compound is governed by the internal surface area; the greater the surface area, the greater the dynamic capacity.
3. Rate of adsorption and sharpness of resolution are dependent chiefly on particle size and column packing; a fine particle size gives optimum sharpness of resolution.
4. Liquids are most readily adsorbed from solvents in which they are least soluble; a good solvent makes a good desorbing agent.
5. Highly polar liquids are readily adsorbed. Compounds having hydroxyl groups, or containing oxygen are strongly adsorbed.
6. For similar compounds, the higher the molecular weight the higher the selectivity.
7. For hydrocarbons of similar molecular weight, adsorptivity increases with the number of double bonds.

Molecular sieves are crystalline metal aluminosilicates having a three-dimensional interconnecting network of silica and alumina tetrahedra. Natural water of hydration is removed from this network by heating to produce uniform cavities which selectively adsorb molecules of a specific size. This 4A form with sodium ions has the effective pore opening of 4Å, thus excluding molecules of effective diameter >4Å (for example: propane). The 8 to 12-mesh type is common in liquid-phase applications. Molecular sieves are considered a universal drying agent in polar and nonpolar media.

Regeneration or Activation:
A saturated molecular sieve can be restored to its original capacity by regeneration, the principle of which involves changing the conditions surrounding the adsorbent to correspond to a very low equilibrium capacity. In general, the greater the difference between the equilibrium capacities of adsorption and regeneration, the more rapid and complete the regeneration.
The sieve may be regenerated in one of four ways:
1. Thermal reactivation –The maximum regeneration temperature for Silica is 300°C.
2. Pressure reactivation
3. Passing an appropriate fluid through the gel bed at normal temperature and pressure.
4. Displacement of adsorbates by passing a high concentration of molecules in a fluid through the bed.

Molecular sieves, 4 Å may be used in the following processes:

• Static dehydration in closed liquid or gas systems such as in packaging of drugs, electric components and perishable chemicals.
• Water scavenging in printing and plastics systems.
• Drying saturated hydrocarbon streams by adsorbing gases such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, ethene, ethane and propene.

The product (Molecular sieves, 4 Å) has been used for the removal of all traces of water from various solvents (methanol, methanol-acetone and acetone). Also, they have been used for drying during the preparation of solutions of N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and biotin-NHS esters (1gL^-1) in dried ACN (acetonitrile).