A granule, vitreous and highly porous form of silica which is made synthetically from sodium silicate is known as silica gel. Silica gels are in the solid form and is naturally occurring material which is purified and processed either granular or beaded form. Silica gel is most commonly used in daily life as beads are packed in vapor permeable plastic and also is used as a desiccant to control the local humidity which is in order to avoid spoilage or degradation of some goods. Silica gel is used in cat litters which are basically combination of traditional materials such as clays which also includes bentonite and also is trackless. Silica gel is very much odorless and has various applications like maintaining desired relative humidity, keeping tools safe from rust free from damp environment, long term storage and also preservation of dried foods.Silica gel is non toxic and non flammable as it is very much stable with the ordinary usage. Silica gel reacts with hydrogen fluoride, oxygen difluoride, chlorine difluoride, strong acids, and strong bases. Silica gel is known for its irritative nature which causes damage to respiratory tract which might also cause damage to the digestive tract. Silica gel packets help to absorb the moisture which is generated on electronic goods as the moisture can hamper the working of an electric gadget thus to avoid this type of problem silica gel packets are used. Silica gel is considered to be desiccant which can be useful for holding water particles.
Silica gels is considered to be an oxide of an element known as silicon which is amorphous, highly porous and also which is partially hydrated form of silica. Few types of silica gel are non indicating silica gel which would not indicate when they become saturated by changing the color as it remains white and are very much used in fillers, catalysts, supports and also dehydrating agent.
