PREFACE
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on April 3, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1982 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1982-0194.pr001
Q P O D I U M S I L I C A T E S W E R E I N T R O D U C E D commercially in the United States over 100 years ago as a replacement for rosin in soaps. Today the use of soluble silicates in industry is widespread and effective. And for the past 30 years, users of soluble silicates have considered James Vail's two volume ACS Monograph No. 116, "Soluble Silicates: Their Properties and Uses," the definitive work on the subject. Since then significant advances have been made in understanding the chemistry of both the sodium silicates and their various derivative materials. Recently, however, the development of S i F T - N M R spectroscopy combined with X-ray structural information on solids and the refinement of chromatographic methods for silicate solutions and solids have begun to provide a clearer picture of the distribution of species in solution. The results of these efforts are only now beginning to shed further light on the complex chemistry of these materials. It is expected that the emerging knowledge of the structure and the influence of that structure on solution properties and reactivity will further enhance the value that these materials have in industrial processes. As we learn more about these "structured solutions," we can expect better understanding of silicate glass chemistry, the equilibria of species in soil and water, cement chemistry, the synthesis of synthetic silicates, and the role of silicates in industrial and biological systems. The 21 papers presented in this timely volume represent the recent work or summaries of studies of a significant cross section of researchers who have been studying soluble silicates and other relevant technologies. The topics may be viewed as four allied themes. The first group of papers deals with the history of these materials, modern instrumental methods for analysis and reviews their current environment, health, safety and regulatory status. Next, several papers cover aspects of the structural, colloid, and solution chemistry of soluble silicates, the solubility of amorphous silica, and a review of the chemistry of silanol groups. This last subject is included because evidence shows that the reaction chemistry of species in solutions of silicates with high S i 0 / N a 0 ratios may be analogous to the surface chemistry of a high surface area porous silica gel. 29
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Falcone; Soluble Silicates ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on April 3, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1982 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1982-0194.pr001
The next group of papers discusses recent applications of the soluble silicates with particular emphasis on oil recovery. This is an application which arose by analogy to the use of soluble silicates in detergency; it is particularly interesting because here, as in detergency, many of the chemical properties of soluble silicates, acting in concert, play a role in the enhancement of oil production, i.e., basicity, the reactivity of silicate anions with metal ions and oxide surfaces, their hydrophilic nature and ability to form gels at higher concentration. The last section is made up of several papers on the preparation and properties of novel silicate materials of current interest. In closing, I would like to acknowledge The PQ Corporation for allowing me the time and support to bring together the many people interested in understanding and applying these useful materials and to acknowledge the contributions of the authors who share my enthusiasm for silicate chemistry. It is my feeling that this is simply the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in die growth of the understanding and use of these "inorganic polymers" for the future. J A M E S S. F A L C O N E , JR.
The PQ Corporation Research and Development Center Lafayette Hill, P A 19444 March 1, 1982.
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Falcone; Soluble Silicates ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
