Various Types Of Silica Gel And Their Uses
Silica gel is an amorphous form of silicon dioxide and is also known as Silica. It is porous, and comprises an irregular and tridimensional framework that is created from alternating silicon and oxygen atoms.
The chemical composition of the compound makes it an ideal choice to be used in situations where water vapor or molecules need to be absorbed and held. There are three main types of Silica gel:
- White Silica gel
- Blue indicating Silica gel
- Orange indicating Silica gel
To understand how they function and differ, let’s look at each of these types in further detail.
White Non-Indicating Silica Gel
White non-indicating Silica gel is a desiccant with a very high purity level, owing to a high vapor capacity and an equally high drying efficiency. This gel comes in several different mesh sizes, according to the different industrial processes it is used in.
White Silica gel is also nonreactive, which means that its color will remain white even after absorbing moisture. Its large surface area enables it to be used to keep sensitive products like medicines and electronics safe from moisture.
Blue Indicating Silica Gel
Blue indicating Silica gel is popular for having a high-water affinity and contains cobalt chloride, which gives it its distinctive electric-blue color. This silica gel is reactive and will change its color from blue to pink on reaching its maximum absorbing capacity.
This color-change is useful in indicating that its time to reactivate it with heat and draw out the moisture. Once, dry, the beads turn blue again, ready to be reused.
This type of Silica gel should not be used with edible items like medicines because of the high cobalt chloride content, which is poisonous.
Orange Indicating Silica Gel
Orange indicating Silica gel gets its color from its high content of methyl violet, a toxic and poisonous compound that helps the gel beads to change their color from orange to green on reaching maximum capacity.
Much like the blue gel, once the gel is green, it can be reactivated by heating, and ready to be used again once its dry and back to its natural orange color.
If you’re looking to silica gel online shopping in bulk quantity, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Sorbead India to place your order. If you’re interested to learn more about our services or have any queries, please give us a call at +91-756-768-8877.
