Is silica gel a chemical compound?
Silica gel is an oxide compound of silicon with the formula SiO2. It’s an amorphous and porous form of silicon dioxide that has an irregular tridimensional framework of alternating patterns of silicon and oxygen atoms. The molecular structure of this compound makes it highly absorbent of water.
What is silica gel?
Silica gel is a desiccant, or drying agent, that manufacturers often place in little packets to keep moisture from damaging certain food and commercial products. You may have seen silica packets in everything from beef jerky to the new shoes you bought.
What is the molecular weight of silica gel?
60.08 g/mol
Key Specifications Table
| CAS # | EC Number | Molar Mass |
|---|---|---|
| 7631-86-9 | 231-545-4 | 60.08 g/mol |
What is the difference between SiO2 and SiO4?
The formula for silica is very simple—SiO2. The silica structures (and those of metal silicates) have only SiO4 tetrahedra, and the 1:2 ratio of SiO2 requires that each oxygen atom is shared by two tetrahedra in silica. Liquid silica does not readily crystallize but solidifies to a glass.
What is SiO2 made of?
Silica (quartz): Silica, SiO2, is a chemical compound that is composed of one silicon atom and two oxygen atoms. It appears naturally in several crystalline forms, one of which is quartz. Silicon dioxide, commonly known as silica (and/or quartz), is a prevalent element in the Earth’s crust.
How is silica gel made?
They are made through a process involving sodium silicate and an acid patented by chemistry professor, Walter Patrick, of Johns Hopkins University in 1919. The mixture forms a gel that is then dried out. Silica gel is a desiccant that can hold 30 to 40% of its weight in water.
How do you calculate silica from silicon?
Calculate the weight-percentage of silicon in silica by dividing the atomic mass of silicon by the molecular mass of silica: Your calculation should be: 28.055/60.084 = 0.4669. Multiply this number by 100 to convert it to percent. Your final answer is: silica contains 46.69 percent silicon by weight.
Why is it SiO2 instead of SiO4?
Are quartz and SiO2 the same?
Silica, commonly known in the form of quartz, is the dioxide form of silicon, SiO2. It is usually used to manufacture glass, ceramics and abrasives. Quartz is the second most common mineral in Earth’s crust. Its chemical name is SiO2.
Why is silica gel used in chromatography?
The major significant reason for silica gel used as a stationary phase in column chromatography is that it has feasible to obtain the extract essential size of the particle size for a particular method. Silica gel is a polar adsorbent that is slightly acidic and has a strong capacity to adsorb the basic substance.
What are the properties of silica gel?
Properties of Silica Gel. Silica Gel is a granular, porous form of silica made synthetically from sodium silicate. Despite the name, silica gel is a solid. Silica gel is the highest capacity adsorbent available today. It comprises of tiny inter-connecting pores, it attracts and holds moisture by adsorption and capillary condensation.
Is silica gel polar or nonpolar?
Silica gel is a polar adsorbent. This allows it to preferentially adsorb other polar materials. When it comes to polarity, materials interact more with like materials. This principle is particularly important to many laboratories, which use silica gel as the stationary phase for column chromatography separations.
What is the chemical name of silica gel?
Silica Gel (White) The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica (from the Latin silex), is an oxide of silicon with a chemical formula of SiO2 and has been known for its hardness since antiquity.