Composition and Structure of Silicones

Silicone is a polymer made up of repeating silicon and oxygen strands. Inert synthetic compounds like siloxanes, which are made up of silicon and oxygen atoms with carbon and hydrogen, are used to make these polymers.

Silicone is also known as polysiloxane.

Structural explanation

Silicones are polymers with a silicon-oxygen backbone similar to silicon dioxide (silica), but with organic groups bonded to silicon atoms. The silicone chain exposes organic groups to the outer world.

Despite possessing a highly polar chain, silicon has physical properties that are similar to those of an alkane. Because the binding energy of silicone is significantly higher than the bond energy of silica, the polymers have similar temperature stability to silica, allowing them to be used in places where homologous organic materials would melt or degrade.

The presence of oxygen atoms in the silicone chain is denoted by the systematic name siloxane, which is named after the fact that it consists of a silicon atom, an oxygen atom, and is saturated like an aqueous solution.

Siloxanes

Siloxanes are a class of materials that have a chain of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) atoms that alternate. Individual siloxane compounds vary in size, weight, and shape within the group.

They are the backbone of silicone polymers, which are employed in a variety of applications.

In every silicone, side chains of organic groups are linked to a main chain of siloxane linkages-Si-O-Si-. Inorganic compounds, such as glass and quartz, have the same backbone of siloxane connections. Siloxane bonds have a significantly higher bond energy than organic polymer main chains, which are produced by C-C and C-O bonds. Due to their high binding energy, siloxane bonds will not break even at temperatures around. They’re also chemically stable, and they’re resistant to heat and weather. 

Plastics, cosmetics, medical gadgets, hygiene goods, and food are just a few examples

contact materials, and a variety of other industrial uses.

Silica

The chemical compound silicon dioxide is known by the name silica. One silicon atom and two oxygen atoms make up each unit of silica.

Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust, and it is made up mostly of silica. It’s the principal constituent in glass and the main component of most sand. 

Humans have known silica from the dawn of time, long before we realised it was composed of silicon and oxygen. Glass items made of silica date back thousands of years.

Because of an unusual property of the silicon atom, it prefers to connect with four oxygen atoms rather than two double bonds, as SiO₂ suggests. The oxygen atoms are arranged in a tetrahedron shape. Silicon dioxide is not a molecule; it takes the form of a massive covalent structure with a crystalline arrangement similar to this (quartz)

Silica toxicity

Silicosis

Breathing crystalline silica dust can induce silicosis, which can be debilitating or even lethal in severe situations. When silica dust gets into your lungs, it causes scar tissue to grow, making it difficult for your lungs to take in oxygen. Silicosis has no known cure.

Lung Cancer 

Lung cancer is increased when people are exposed to respirable crystalline silica. Lung cancer is a disease in which aberrant cells develop uncontrollably into tumours, causing lung function to be compromised. The aberrant cancer cells can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body, causing damage. The majority of cases are incurable.

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) 

Other lung disorders, particularly COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, are increased by exposure to respirable crystalline silica. Shortness of breath is the most common symptom of COPD, which is caused by difficulties breathing air into the lungs. COPD is rarely reversible and might deteriorate over time.

Conclusion

Silicones are used in a wide range of applications, from the most demanding to the most delicate. Silicones’ wide range of properties make them a key component in tens of thousands of consumers and commercial products, independent of their intended function. The versatility of silicone stems from its ability to perform and protect.