Silicate Structures
Silicate structures are the building blocks of many of the solid structures that exist in nature on the atomic scale. Silicates are made up of an arrangement of silicon and oxygen atoms, called the silicate tetrahedrons. The silicate structure occurs when the two atoms arrange themselves into four-sided structures; each tetrahedron is connected to four others in common shapes. The resulting pattern is one of the most common structures in nature, and can make up a number of materials, from clay to mica.
The tetrahedron is the fundamental unit of a silicate structure. The silicate tetrahedron is composed of one oxygen atom surrounded by four silicon atoms forming a tetrahedral shape. Atoms in the silicate structures are bonded by either covalent bonds or coordination bonds. Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between two atoms, while coordination bonds involve a lone electron pair on one atom being attracted to an atom with a shortage of electrons.
The covalently bonded silicate tetrahedrons form the basic building blocks that build larger structures. They are arranged in repeating patterns whereby three oxygen atoms surround each silicon atom. The arrangement of the atoms and their bonds make up the crystal structure of silicates. Depending on the type of bond between the atoms and their arrangement, various shapes of silicate crystals can form. Examples of silicate crystalline crystals include tridymite, quartz, and feldspar.
In addition to the tetrahedron formation, there are other forms of silicate structures known as double four- or six-membered ring networks. These networks form from the same arrangement of silicon and oxygen atoms, but the covalent bonds that they form in between the atoms form what look like rings. Depending on the type of linkages formed, these rings can be either triangular or square in shape. These structures are often seen in minerals such as olivine, enstatite and pyroxene.
Silicate structures are important to many of the geological processes that form the earth. Silicates are the major components of both the Earth’s crust and mantle, and are also found in abundance on other planets in our solar system. Silicon-based compounds are also important to the formation of rocks and minerals, as they help to cement particles of other materials together. Silicates are also essential for many natural processes, such as the formation of magma, lava, soil and glass.
Silicate structures are an integral part of the world around us, and it is impossible to overstate the importance of their formation. Without the formation of these structures, none of the minerals, rocks or other materials found on Earth would exist. They are ubiquitous and play an important role in many of the natural processes that make up the world.
