Silica gel
Description
Amorphous powder or granules of silica. Silica gel is chemically inert, very porous and hygroscopic. It is used as a pollutant sorbent and as a humidity buffering agent. Silica gel absorbs moisture in humid environments and releases water in dry air. Once equilibrated to set moisture level, silica gel will maintain that humidity level in a closed environment. Examples of silica gel products preconditioned as humidity buffers are Art-Sorb, gel Arten gel and GORE-TEX silica tiles. Silica gel that is saturated with water can be dried by heat (110-200 C) and used again. Some brands of commercial silica gel include chloride cobalt chloride as a humidity indicator (blue when dry and pink when moist). Silica gel has also been used as a desiccant in Dri-die cockroach formulation.
Synonyms and Related Terms
amorphous silica; gel de silice (Fr.); Britesorb [PQ Corp.]; Dri-die; Art-Sorb [Fuji Silysia]; GORE-TEX silica tiles; Arten gel; Arten tiles
Hazards and Safety
Noncombustible.
Hygroscopic. Contact may cause irritation.
Additional Information
R. Lafontaine, "Silica Gel", Technical Bulletin No. 10, Canadian Conservation Institute, October 1984
Authority
- G.S.Brady, G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 710
- Ralph Mayer, Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Marjorie Shelley, Marjorie Shelley, The Care and Handling of Art Objects, The Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1987
- Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Hermann Kuhn, Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986
- Lynda A. Zycherman, J.Richard Schrock, Lynda A. Zycherman, J.Richard Schrock, A Guide to Museum Pest Control, FAIC and Association of Systematics Collections, Washington DC, 1988
- Matte Paint: Its history and technology, analysis, properties and conservation treatment, Eric Hansen, Sue Walston, Mitchell Bishop (ed.), J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, Vol. 30 of AATA, 1993
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
- Pam Hatchfield, Pam Hatchfield, Pollutants in the Museum Environment, Archetype Press, London, 2002
- Marie Svoboda, Marie Svoboda, Conservation Survey Index, unpublished, 1997
- A Glossary of Paper Conservation Terms, Margaret Ellis (ed.), Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York City, 1998
- Website address 1, Website address 1 Comment: AMOL reCollections Glossary -http://amol.org.au/recollections/7/c/htm