silicic acid

American

noun

Chemistry.

any of certain amorphous gelatinous masses, formed when alkaline silicates are treated with acids, which dissociate readily into silica and water.

silicic acid British

noun

a white gelatinous substance obtained by adding an acid to a solution of sodium silicate. It has an ill-defined composition and is best regarded as hydrated silica, SiO 2 . n H 2 O

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of silicic acid

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Instead of another invasive surgery to remove the pacemaker, it simply dissolves over time into a nontoxic compound known as silicic acid.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

The samples with leachate had more silicic acid as well, which is used by plankton like diatoms to make their microscopic shells.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2023

After complete dissolution of sodium hydroxide, 2.5 g of silicic acid was added as the silica source.

From Nature • Mar. 14, 2017

In the body, if the silicon is thin enough, it degrades in the presence of water into silicic acid, which is not harmful to health, and even sold as a dietary supplement.

From Scientific American • Nov. 6, 2015

Gels may be either rigid, as in the case of those of silicic acid, etc., or elastic, as are those of gelatin, egg-albumin, agar-agar, etc.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023