The Difference Between Silicon & Silicate

Silicon

• Silicon is one of the most common elements in the world by mass, however it is rarely found in its pure elemental state. Rather, it is more often found combined with other atoms in various compounds. Silica and silicate are the most common compounds with silicon as the base atom.

Silicates

• Silicates are molecules that are based on a silicon atom and four oxygen atoms. This configuration retains a overall negative charge, which allows it to bond to other metal cations to form stable silicates. In some cases, they bond to other silicon cations, which results in quartz. There are a wide variety of types of silicates, depending on the type of atom that ends up compounding with the base silicate ion.

Quartz

• Quartz is a silicate that contains only silicon and oxygen. Although it is still a silicate, this sometimes causes some confusion as it also qualifies as silica. Quartz has many uses from glass making to technology, due to its piezoelectric nature. Quartz was a key component in early radios and electric watches.

Other Silicates

• There are many other mineral compounds within the silicate family. Feldspar is a common type of silicate where sodium, aluminum, potassium or calcium is bound to the base silicate ion. Olivine has iron or magnesium ions bonded in the silicate. There are dozens of types of silicates found in nature. Silicates make up the largest class of rocks.