Silicon dioxide Silicon dioxide is a chemical compound. It is an oxide of silicon. Its chemical formula is SiO2. People knew about silicon dioxide in ancient times. People usually find silicon dioxide in nature. They find it in nature in the form of quartz. Silicon dioxide is present in different living organisms. Silicon dioxide is a very complex and abundant material. People produce silicon dioxide synthetically. People also produce silicon dioxide with the help of the processing of quartz. The examples of silicon dioxide include crystals and aerogels. People use silicon dioxide in microelectronics and food industry. People also obtain silicon dioxide with the help of mining. Then they purify the mineral which they mined. The Earth’s crust contains 10 % of quartz.
Pyrogenic silica is a colloidal form of silicon dioxide. Chemists prepare it with the help of the burning of SiCl4 in the hydrocarbon flame. At the end of this reaction chemists obtain a "smoke" of SiO2.
People use silicon dioxide in the production of glass. People use silicon dioxide when they produce windows, bottles. Silicon dioxide has many crystalline and amorphous forms. Films of silicon dioxide grow very fast. Chemists grow these films with the help of thermal oxidation. When they use thermal oxidation they obtain a very thin layer. Engineers use this layer in microelectronics. In microelectronics this layer plays the role of an insulator. Silicon dioxide is also present in the sand. In medicine people use silicon dioxide in the preparation of tablets.
Vocabulary notes
silicon dioxide диоксид кремния
ancient times древние времена
to be present присутствовать
to produce получать синтетическим путем
crystals кристаллы
aerogels аэрогели
food industry пищевая промышленность
mining добыча месторождений полезных ископаемых
to purify очищать
to mine добывать
the Earth’s crust земная кора
pyrogenic silica коллоидальная двуокись кремния, пирогенный кремнезем
a colloidal form коллоидная форма
to prepare приготовить
burning горение, сжигание
a hydrocarbon flame углеводородное пламя
glass стекло
crystalline кристаллический
amorphous аморфный
a film пленка
to grow расти
fast быстро
thermal oxidation термическое окисление
a thin layer тонкий слой
an insulator изоляционный материал
sand песок