silicate

[ sil-i-kit, -keyt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Mineralogy. any of the largest group of mineral compounds, as quartz, beryl, garnet, feldspar, mica, and various kinds of clay, consisting of SiO 2 or SiO 4 groupings and one or more metallic ions, with some forms containing hydrogen. Silicates constitute well over 90 percent of the rock-forming minerals of the earth's crust.
Chemistry. any salt derived from the silicic acids or from silica.

silicate

/ ˈsɪlɪkɪt; -ˌkeɪt /

noun

a salt or ester of silicic acid, esp one of a large number of usually insoluble salts with polymeric negative ions having a structure formed of tetrahedrons of SiO 4 groups linked in rings, chains, sheets, or three dimensional frameworks. Silicates constitute a large proportion of the earth's minerals and are present in cement and glass

silicate

Any of a large class of chemical compounds composed of silicon, oxygen, and at least one metal. Most rocks and minerals are silicates.
Any mineral containing the group SiO 4 , either isolated, or joined to other groups in chains, sheets, or three-dimensional groups with metal elements. Micas and feldspars are silicate minerals.

Discover More

Other Word Forms

��·��·��·�پ��ǲ� [sil-i-, key, -sh, uh, n], noun
�Դǲ�·��i·��ٱ� noun
��ܲ�·��i·��ٱ� noun

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of silicate¹

First recorded in 1805–15; silic(a) + -ate ²

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In this study, the researchers used a zeolite called iron-modified aluminum silicate, paired with an enzyme called alcohol oxidase.

From

Here, side effects could include the erosion of silicate minerals into ecosystems or crops, in addition to the energy cost of mining, crushing, and transporting the rocks.

From

After pouring hot aluminum into one of her stick-shaped molds and letting it cool in a pile of dirt, a participant took a ball-peen hammer and cracked open the rough silicate mold, like a geode.

From

"On this basis, we were able to calculate the quantities of CO2 released by weathering or from carbonates at depths, and the quantities of CO2 bound by weathered silicates," explains Erlanger.

From

They show that the silicate shells of diatoms – the most important phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean – were deposited on the seafloor farther north in ice ages than in warm periods.

From

silica glass silicates

Browse