Silicon dioxide , also known as silica (from the latin silex), is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2, most commonly found in nature as quartz and invarious living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and most abundant families of materials existing as a compound of several minerals and as synthetic product.Notable examples include fused quart, fumed silica, silica gel, aerogel. It is used in structural material, microelectronics and as components in the food and pharmaceutical industries (Todd etal, 2012)
