Re: Silicates

From: Ted.Held at hstna.com on 2002.03.21 at 16:09:26(8310) People should be aware that silicates are not at all the same as silicones. Many silicates are common soil minerals. Vermiculite is a silicate, for example. Silicones are a large family of carbon-silicon compounds. Some of these are oily, surface active compounds, others are rubbery like silicone caulk. Potassium silicate is a water soluble compound that is harshly alkaline. All these are derived from the element silicon from which Silicon Valley gets its name. I notice confusion on this issue when I hear the home of the semiconductor industry called Silicone Valley, as in silicone breast implants.

Note: this is a very old post, so no reply function is available.