Silica Stories
Do you know silica, the tetrahedra of silicon and oxygen constituting the crystals of New Agers and the desiccant in a box of new shoes? It's no mere mundane mineral. As chemically reacting silicate rocks, silica set off the chain of events known as
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Silica Stories
Silica Stories
Christina De La Rocha Daniel J. Conley •
Silica Stories
123
Daniel J. Conley Department of Geology Lund University Lund Sweden
Christina De La Rocha Department of Geology Lund University Lund Sweden
ISBN 978-3-319-54053-5 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-54054-2
ISBN 978-3-319-54054-2
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932777 © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
Two… four… six… eight… In the most humble opinion of we two typical biogeochemists, everyone should have a favorite element. Ours is silicon. Did you just leap to a conclusion? Computer chips? Solar cells? They’re neat, but not why we appreciate… silicon! We heart silicon because it’s at the heart of silica. Silica is a compound, nominally SiO2. Silicon dioxide you could call it, if you felt like sounding technical, or silicic acid, when it is dissolved in water. In any event, as molecules go, silica has versatility and a habit of participating in feats of derring-do. Yes, feats of derring-do, and we don’t mean the sci-fi dreams of silica-based life forms. What silica does in real life is cooler than a Horta. If you knew, you’d heart silica, too. That’s what the next ten chapters, each telling a scientific tale of silica, are designed to do- make you fall in love with silica. Silica was there, for example, when life began on Earth. In fact, it wasn’t just there, it was key. It was the basis of the silicate rocks that reacted with hydrothermally warmed seawater to produce the solutes (dissolved substances) that reacted with each other and with metals to become the metabolic reactions
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