Definition

Noun: A group of minerals belonging to the zeolite family, characterized as a hydrous silicate of calcium and aluminum. It typically occurs as rhombohedral crystals and is found in cavities in basaltic rocks.

Examples of Usage

• Geologists identified the white, glassy crystals in the volcanic rock as chabazite.
• The sample contained several zeolites, including chabazite, which is valued for its ion-exchange properties.
• Chabazite forms in the vesicles of ancient lava flows.

Advanced Usage

• In scientific contexts, specific varieties of chabazite may be distinguished, such as chabazite-Ca or chabazite-Na, based on the dominant extra-framework cation (calcium or sodium).
• The term is used in material science when discussing natural chabazite as a molecular sieve for gas separation or catalysis.

Variants and Related Words

• Zeolite (n): The broader family of hydrated aluminosilicate minerals to which chabazite belongs.
• Hydrous silicate (n): A general term for silicate minerals containing water molecules within their crystal structure.

Synonyms

• There are no direct common-language synonyms. In technical mineralogy, it may be referred to by its specific variety names (e.g., chabazite-Ca) or its obsolete name, acadialite.

Related Phrases

• Zeolite family: The group of minerals with similar crystalline, porous structures.
• Molecular sieve: A material with pores of uniform size, a property for which chabazite is studied.

Noun

1. a group of minerals of the zeolite family consisting of a hydrous silicate of calcium and aluminum