How Is Sodium Silicate Made?
What is Sodium Silicate? Sodium silicate, also known as waterglass, is a metal oxide of silica (Na2O • XSiO2) that is used in many industrial and consumer products, including adhesives, cements, detergents as well as for products in the agricultural, paper, textile, health and other industries. The compound is an inorganic chemical that is manufactured at high temperatures by combining sand and sodium carbonate. Sodium Silicate Chemistry The starting point of any silicate solution is a silicate anion. It has a silicon atom at its center with oxygen atoms at its corners, structurally forming a four-sided pyramid. In chemical notation, this compound is written as Na2O • XSiO2 where X is a variable that represents the weight-ratio of silica to metal oxide. The difference in the proportion of the SiO2 to the Na2O will determine the physical and chemical characteristics of the final manufactured products. Putting It Together Sodium silicate’s primary ingredient, silica sand, is fused with s
