Da Areia à Sílica: Uma Abordagem Experimental para o Ensino de Química

Resumo

The present study aimed to obtain silica, a product with diverse industrial applicability, from beach sand.
The process of obtaining silica involved several physical-chemical steps covering several concepts present
in undergraduate and high school graduate courses. The silica obtained was characterized by infrared
analysis and its spectrum was identical to the spectrum of commercial silica used for chromatography. In
this process it was possible to use the contents of mixture separation, chemical and functions reactions,
sample preparation, which included knowledge of concepts such as decantation, filtration, centrifugation,
intermolecular forces, solubility, chemical reactivity, dehydration, vaporization, precipitation and acidity.
Our study showed that it is possible to carry out processes in a chemistry teaching laboratory to obtain
commercial material produced by the chemical industry, providing students with a remarkable experience
with a practical approach to the theoretical content taught in the classroom.