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Biogenic silica (bSi), also referred to as opal, biogenic opal, or amorphous opaline silica, forms one of the most widespread biogenic minerals. For example, microscopic particles of silica called phytoliths can be found in grasses and other plants. Silica is an amorphous metalloid oxide formed by complex inorganic polymerization processes.
Sheet silicates. In this group, known as phyllosilicates, tetrahedra all share three oxygen atoms each and in turn link to form two-dimensional sheets. This structure does lead to minerals in this group having one strong cleavage plane. Micas fall into this group. Both muscovite and biotite have very weak layers that can be peeled off in sheets.
Silicon is in the same group as carbon on the periodic table and, like carbon, it is tetravalent. Hypothetical alternatives to water include ammonia, which, like water, is a polar molecule, and cosmically abundant; and non-polar hydrocarbon solvents such as methane and ethane, which are known to exist in liquid form on the surface of Titan.
Silica is a naturally existing and abundant compound found in organic and inorganic materials, including Earth's crust and mantle. There are a variety of silicification mechanisms. In silicification of wood, silica permeates into and occupies cracks and voids in wood such as vessels and cell walls. [1]
One biological system that might be of key importance in the future development of architecture is bacterial biofilm. The term biofilm refers to complex heterogeneous structures comprising different populations of microorganisms that attach and form a community on inert (e.g. rocks, glass, plastic) or organic (e.g. skin, cuticle, mucosa) surfaces.
On the other hand, Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg believed that he had observed different silicic acids as decomposition products of natural silicate gels. [9] The first crystalline silicic acid was prepared from the phyllosilicate natrosilite (Na 2 Si 2 O 5) in 1924. More than 15 crystalline acids are known and comprise at least six ...
The silica is absorbed in the form of monosilicic acid (Si(OH) 4), and is carried by the plant's vascular system to the cell walls, cell lumen, and intercellular spaces. Depending on the plant taxa and soil condition, absorbed silica can range from 0.1% to 10% of the plant's total dry weight.
Some types of cancer cells will take up more of the particles than healthy cells will, giving researchers hope that MCM-41 will one day be used to treat certain types of cancer. [ 3 ] [ 19 ] [ 20 ] Ordered mesoporous silica (e.g. SBA-15, [ 21 ] TUD-1, [ 22 ] HMM-33, [ 1 ] and FSM-16 [ 23 ] ) also show potential to boost the in vitro and in vivo ...