Abstract
Silicon (Si; name originates from the Latin, silicis = flint) is present in all living organisms and is required for the production of stable structural materials. This takes place not only in single-celled organisms, e.g. diatoms, but also in lower Metazoa like sponges as well as in higher plants. Silicon is one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust, second only to oxygen. Some geologists estimate that nearly 90% of all known minerals are silicates in combination with other elements such as aluminium (andalusite, kyanite), calcium (wollastonite), iron (fayalite), magnesium (fosterite), zinc (willemite) or zirconium (zircon), just to mention a few.
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Brümmer, F. (2003). Living Inside a Glass Box — Silica in Diatoms. In: Müller, W.E.G. (eds) Silicon Biomineralization. Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology, vol 33. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55486-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55486-5_1
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