Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2, commonly found in nature as quartz. [5][6] In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand.
One such material is silica, or silicon dioxide, which is the most common component of sand. Silica is also found naturally in some foods, and it is added to many food products and supplements.
The mass of Earth’s crust is 59 percent silica, the main constituent of more than 95 percent of the known rocks. Silica has three main crystalline varieties: quartz (by far the most abundant), tridymite, and cristobalite.
Silica is made of silicon and 2 oxygen atoms; which forms silicon dioxide. You can find silica in high amounts in the mineral quartz (which is the most abundant mineral in Earth and is used to manufacture glass). Silica is known to be essential for our joints.
Crystalline silica, also referred to as quartz, is a common mineral. It’s found in soil, sand, granite, concrete, rock, and many other materials. Cutting, chipping, grinding, and drilling these materials creates a lot of dust, which contains tiny crystalline silica particles.