Production of 4Å is relatively straightforward and requires neither high pressures nor particularly high temperatures. Combine aqueous solutions of sodium silicate and sodium aluminate at 80 °C mix/agitate for a time, then "activate" by "baking" at 400 °C
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