A silicate tetrahedron molecule contains four closely arranged oxygen atoms around a silicon atom. The resultant shape referred to as tetrahedron has an oxygen atom at the edge of its four corners. The four attached oxygen atoms share each of the four electrons in the silicon atom, forming a triangular pyramid (Lumen Learning, n.d.). The oxygen atom then shares one of the six valence electrons in its outer shell with the silicon atom. The silicon in the tetrahedron will have a complete outer shell, which has eight electrons. The four oxygen atoms then share the eight electrons in pairs. Each oxygen atom will have seven electrons in the outer shell.
The molecular ion, silicon-oxygen tetrahedron, build up the silicate mineral family. The oxygen ion has a charge of -2 and the silicon ion +4. The four oxygen ions share each of the four valence electrons in the silicon ion to form a covalent bond (Hawthorne, 2018). The oxygen ion contributes half of its bonding energy to the silicon-oxygen bond; therefore, it can bond with a silicon cation from a different tetrahedron. The silicon-oxygen tetrahedron can merge with other tetrahedrons in adverse combinations. These configurations form a chemical structure with positively charged ions, which build several silicate mineral families.
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Silicate minerals compose most of the earth’s crust and mantle. Naturally, silicon atoms and oxygen atoms are abundant on the earth's crust. The covalent bond formed by the tetrahedron is strong, and the oxygen ion can quickly bond with several elements, therefore creating various silicate minerals. The electromagnetic oxygen element has the strength to bond with other electrons from different elements. The silicate tetrahedron can bond with each other in multiple geometric configurations such as chains, sheets, rings, and 3-D networks. The diversity and abundance of silicate minerals result from silicon's nature and the silicon-oxygen bond's stability.
References
Hawthorne, F. C. (2018, November 9). A structured hierarchy for silicate minerals: sheet silicates. Mineralogical Magazine, 83 (1). https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/mineralogical-magazine/article/structure-hierarchy-for-silicate-minerals-sheet-silicates/CEEF98A6D0EF5E0F3D1DD7A7A972C393#
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Geology: Silicate Minerals and the Silicate Tetrahedron. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/geo/chapter/silicate-minerals-and-the-silicate-tetrahedron/
