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Applications Of ....

	Silicon
	Silica
	Silicate
	Silicones
	Silica gel

Silicon

According to a data, more than a million tonnes of silicon are produced annually. But what is the use of silicon?

　

Undoubtedly, we use silicon very often in the daily life. Most of it is added to steel to deoxidize it. This is important in the manufacture of high silicon corrosion resistant steels. Also, it is widely used in electronics industry, it is used as transistors and semiconductor devices. On the other hand, very pure silicon can be used to make computer chips.

　

We all know that silicon can be used to make silicone polymer. Its semiconducting properties are used in solar cells.

Silica

Silicon dioxide ( SiO₂, silica) is widely found as sand and quartz. Pure quartz is important as piezo-electric material for the crystals in gramophone pickups, for cigarette and gas lighters and for radios and computer.

　

However, there is insufficient natural quartz of high enough purity ,and so it is made synthetically by hydrothermal growth of seed crystals from aqueous NaOH and vitreous silica at 400^oC under pressure. Silicon dioxide itself is used for laboratory glassware, and for optical components such as lenses and prisms and cells to hold samples in UV-visible spectrohotometers.

　

The ultrafine SiO₂ is used as a thixotropic agent in polyester and epoxy paints and resins, and as inert filler in silicone rubber.

Silicate

We can easily find silicate in the daily life. It is because we live with silicate, walk together with silicate, and even eat something by silicate!

　

Many building materials are silicates. They included granite, slantes, bricks, cement, ceramics, glass and bottles. And silicate is so important because the things like cement, ceramics and glass industries are based on it. For the ceramics, it can be used to make bricks, tiles and pottery. And for glass, we all know that we can use it to make bottles( for drinking water or something else) and windows. Normal domestic glass for windows is a calcium-alkali silicate glass made by fusing the alkali metal carbonate , CaCO₃ and SiO₂. (The carbonates decompose to oxides on heating.) If Na₂CO₃ is used we obtain soda glass, which is also used for cheap laboratory glassware. Using K₂CO₃ gives potash glass. Most of the CaO may be replaced by PbO, giving lead glass, which has a higher refractive index, and is used for making optical parts and glass ornaments.

　

Silicate compounds have many uses too. For example, sodium silicates are used in liquid detergent preparations to keep the pH high, so that grease and fat can be dissolved by forming a soap. Sodium silicate is also used in asbestos roof tiles, in fireproof and putty, and in making silica gel.

Silicones

Silicone is made from silicon. It has wide variety of commercial uses as fluid, oils, rubbers and resins.

For the silicone oils, they are used as dielectric insulating material in high voltage transformers.

　

For the resins, it is used as dielectric insulators. Resin is often mixed with glass fibre for additional strength. It is also used to make printed circuit boards and to encapsulate integrated circuit chips and resistors. But one interesting thing is that it can be used as non- stick coatings for car tyres and bread.

　

Besides, silicone polymer can be controlled to produce a nontoxic additives for sun tan oils, cooking oils and cosmetics. Silicones are used in constant- viscosity lubricating oils and in the manufacture of paints, polishes and waterproof surfaces.

Silica gel

Silicon gel is a nontoxic food additive. It is usually used as a drying agent, a catalyst and in chromatography. It is also used as an adsorbent.

　

Silicon gel has many functions?It can be used as a supporter for catalysts in industrial reactors. Another funny thing is that if small amount of silica gel additives in powdered foods( powdered coffee creamer, soups and sugar), it can absorb the moisture and prevent caking of the powder .

　

Is that funny?

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