Zeolite synthesis

Claim 1

In a process for synthesizing a crystalline molecular sieve type aluminosilicate-containing product comprising zeolite Y or zeolite ZSM-5 by preparation of a reaction mixture containing, for zeolite Y, sodium oxide, silica, alumina and water and having a composition falling within one of the following ranges: Na.sub.2 O/SiO.sub.2 SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 H.sub.2 O/Na.sub.2 O ______________________________________ Range 1 0.20 to 0.40 10 to 40 25 to 60 Range 2 0.41 to 0.60 10 to 30 20 to 60 Range 3 0.61 to 0.80 7 to 30 20 to 60 Range 4 0.6 to 1.0 8 to 30 12 to 90 Range 5 1.5 to 1.7 10 to 30 20 to 90 Range 6 1.9 to 2.1 about 10 40 to 90 Range 7 0.70 to 0.90 10 to 25 12 to 90 Range 8 0.28 to 0.30 8 to 10 30 to 50 ______________________________________ and, for zeolite ZSM-5, a tetrapropyl ammonium compound, sodium oxide, silica, alumina and water and having a composition falling within the following ranges: Particularly Broad Preferred Preferred ______________________________________ OH.sup.-/SiO.sub.2 0.07-1.0 0.1-0.8 0.2-0.75 R.sub.4 N.sup.+/(R.sub.4 N.sup.+ + Na.sup.+) 0.2-0.95 0.3-0.9 0.4-0.9 H.sub.2 O/OH.sup.- 10-300 10-300 10-300 SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 5-100 10-60 10-40 ______________________________________ where R is propyl, maintaining the mixture at an elevated temperature until said product is formed, separating and recovering said product; the improvement which comprises utilizing as the principal source of silica and alumina in said reaction mixture a smectite clay which has undergone fusion with sodium chloride.