silica gel

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a highly adsorbent gelatinous form of silica, used chiefly as a dehumidifying and dehydrating agent.

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silica gel British  

noun

1. an amorphous form of silica capable of absorbing large quantities of water: used in drying gases and oils, as a carrier for catalysts and an anticaking agent for cosmetics

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Etymology

Origin of silica gel

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Researchers have made their own silica gel, а staple in chromatography machines, which separate chemical compounds from mixtures.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 9, 2023

The samples are forced through a column of silica gel, which traps the unwanted chemicals and leaves the alkanes they want to measure.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023

Yes, I did forget to remove the silica gel packet from the new and improved case.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2022

I found a better way: those silica gel packs that come in shipments of shoes, bags, etc.

From Washington Post • Jul. 16, 2021

I remember, many, many years ago, answering the phone, Cliff Norbright—great chemist—telling me he had smelled phenol when he heated ethylene chlorohydrin in the presence of holmium-treated silica gel in a test tube.

From The Professional Approach by Schoenherr, John