| Pulmonary disease due to talc, a group of hydrous magnesium silicates, is almost exclusively encountered after occupational exposure. |
| Soluble silicates can be obtained by heating alkali metal carbonates and silica. |
| By sharing two oxygen atoms, silicates can form either cyclic or chain structures. |
| Below this threshold, minerals occur as silicates, in that they are chemically bonded to silica. |
| The most significant user is the glass industry, which uses sodium carbonate to decompose silicates for glass making. |
| The other two silicates are possibly an amphibole and a member of the smectite group. |
