sorosilicate

silicate structural linkagesThe basic structural unit of all silicate minerals is the silicon tetrahedron in which one silicon atom is surrounded by and bonded to (i.e., coordinated with) four oxygen atoms, each at the corner of a regular tetrahedron.

sorosilicate, any member of a group of compounds with structures that have two silicate tetrahedrons (each consisting of a central silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms at the corners of a tetrahedron) linked together. Because one oxygen atom is shared by two tetrahedrons, the chemical formula contains Si2O7, as in melilite or hemimorphite.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.
Citation Information
Article Title: sorosilicate
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 08 May 2018
Access Date: November 14, 2026