A microporous mineral belonging to the zeolite family, typically forming cubic crystals, used industrially for filtration and water purification.
From Greek 'an-' (not) + 'alks' (salt) + '-ite' (mineral suffix), because it doesn't release salt when heated, unlike some chemically similar minerals.
Analcite is a modern workhorse—it filters radioactive wastewater from nuclear plants, removes ammonia from aquariums, and dries the air in space stations, all because its crystal structure has perfectly-sized holes at the molecular level.
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