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silicates
Salts of silicic acids; all contain silicon, oxygen, and one or more metals, and may contain hydrogen. Discrete silicate anions include orthosilicates (SiO4-4), metasilicates (SiO32-), and groups of SiO4 units linked by Si–O–Si bonds; such condensation also produces infinite anions in chains, layers, or three-dimensional arrays. Silicates (including aluminosilicates) are the largest and most important group of minerals, forming 90% of the Earth's crust. Common examples of silicate minerals are feldspars and quartz.
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• GEOLOGY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE• INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
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