Silicon Dioxide
Also Known By SiO2 By: Viet Nguyen 4th Block
What Can You Use It For
Silicon dioxide is more commonly known as quartz in the form of crystals. They have a variety of uses such as glass making, as an abrasive, and as parts of electrical equipment.
Properties of Quartz
Physically, quartz is very durable and hard. It rates as a 7 on the Mohs scale. Quartz can be a variety of colors such as green, red, white, and blue. Quartz also has other properties like being able to conduct electricity fairly well. The chemical properties of quartz include it being very inert at room temperatures, and since it's the anhydrite of an acid too it also usually wouldn't be attacked by them.. However, at higher temperatures, quartz can act like an acid reacting with many alkaline minerals.
Did You Know?
1. Quartz is the second most common mineral on Earth.
2. Brazil is one of the biggest miners of quartz. Quartz weighing as much as 90,000 pounds is mined there.
3. Quartz has variety of names, which depend on it's color. Pink quartz is usually called rose quartz.