Why does silica not dissolve in water?

Silicon is the most abundant element on earth after oxygen. Large amounts of silicon can be found in various minerals and it is abundant in oceans and nearly all other waters as silicic acid. read more

Silicon dioxide does not consist of separate molecules that can dissolve individually into water. The SiO [math]_2[/math] units are covalently bound in the solid. They are too strongly connected for water to be able to break them apart. read more

Compounds that have properties similar to ionic solids or organic solids would follow the same formula. However, silica gel is unique in the fact that it is not a gel, nor will it dissolve in most liquids. In fact, it actually absorbs water and other liquids instead of dissolving in them. read more