Silicon is the most abundant element by mass in the universe and moreover, they are rock-forming minerals that are made of silicate groups. There are many minerals made out of silicate materials. Silicate is made up of silicon and oxygen which are the first and second most abundant element in the earth’s crust as they are the most widespread of the mineral in the earth’s crust. There are five types of silicate materials namely cyclosilicates, inosilicates, phyllosilicates, sorosilicates, and neosilicates. Cyclosilicates consists of silicon atoms and oxygen atoms in the ratio of 1:3 consist of higher number atoms when compared to other silicate minerals.
Inosilicates are of long chains have 1:4 ratios of silicon to oxygen atoms in a tetrahedral shape. It consists of center silicon and four corners bonded with oxygen atoms. Phyllosilicates have 2:5 ratios of silicon to oxygen atoms in a sheet of tetrahedrons. In sorosilicates, each tetrahedron is linked to other structure in the ration 2:7 of silicon to oxygen atoms. In neosilicates, there is no linking between silicon tetrahedrons and are in a ratio 1:4 of silicon to oxygen atoms. In both these silicate materials, the ratio of silicon to oxygen is the lowest possible ratio in the silicate materials.
Inosilicates are of long chains have 1:4 ratios of silicon to oxygen atoms in a tetrahedral shape. It consists of center silicon and four corners bonded with oxygen atoms. Phyllosilicates have 2:5 ratios of silicon to oxygen atoms in a sheet of tetrahedrons. In sorosilicates, each tetrahedron is linked to other structure in the ration 2:7 of silicon to oxygen atoms. In neosilicates, there is no linking between silicon tetrahedrons and are in a ratio 1:4 of silicon to oxygen atoms. In both these silicate materials, the ratio of silicon to oxygen is the lowest possible ratio in the silicate materials.