Intensive research on zeolites, during the past thirty years, has
resulted in a deep understanding of their chemistry and in a true
zeolite science, including synthesis, structure, chemical and physical
properties, and catalysis. These studies are the basis for the
development and growth of several industrial processes applying zeolites
for selective sorption, separation, and catalysis. In 1983, a NATO
Advanced Study Institute was organized in Alcabideche (portugal) to
establish the State-of-the-Art in Zeolite Science and Technology and to
contribute to a better understanding of the structural properties of
zeolites, the configurational constraints they may exert, and their
effects in adsorption, diffusion, and catalysis. Since then, zeolite
science has witnessed an almost exponential growth in published papers
and patents, dealing with both fundamentals issues and original
applications. The proposal of new procedures for zeolite synthesis, the
development of novel and sophisticated physical techniques for zeolite
characterization, the discovery of new zeolitic and related microporous
materials, progresses in quantum chemistry and molecular modeling of
zeolites, and the application of zeolites as catalysts for organic
reactions have prompted increasing interest among the scientific
community. An important and harmonious interaction between various
domains of Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering resulted therefrom.