Question

Silica dissolves in NaOH solution to form:

• A. quartz
• B. sodium silicate
• C. carborundum
• D. jaspar

Answer 1

The correct option is B sodium silicate

Silica is almost non-reactive due to the presence of very strong Si-C bonds. They are unaffected by dihydrogen, halogen and acids except $HF$ and $NaOH$ to form $Si{F}_4$ and $N{a}_{2}Si{O}_3$ respectively. The reaction is as follow:

$Si{O}_2+2NaOH\to N{a}_{2}Si{O}_3+H_{2}O$