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Dictionary

sil•i•cate

Pronunciation: (sil'i-kit, -kāt"), [key]
—n.
1. Mineral.any of the largest group of mineral compounds, as quartz, beryl, garnet, feldspar, mica, and various kinds of clay, consisting of SiO₂ or SiO₄ 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.
2. Chem.any salt derived from the silicic acids or from silica.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

silica glass

siliceous

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