Question

The common basic structural unit in silicates and silica is

• A. $Si_{2}O_{6}^{4 -}$
• B. $S i O_{3}^{2 -}$
• C. $S i O_{4}^{4 -}$
• D. $Si_{2}O_{7}^{6 -}$

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Silica $\left(\right.SiO_{2}\left.\right)$ and silicates contain a common structural unit $\left(S i O_{4}\right)^{4 -}$ in which each Si is surrounded tetrahedrally by four oxygen atoms.