Silex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silex, in modern usage, refers to a finely ground, nearly pure form of Silica or Silicate.

The first known use occurs circa 1590 as a post-medieval/Early Modern Era term in Latin for (presumably) powdered or ground up "Flints" (i.e. stones, generally meaning the class of "Hard Rocks") in alchemy, and was later used famously when describing experiments in a published paper by Antoine Lavoisier where such earths are mentioned as the source of his isolation of the element silicon in 1787. Silex is now most commonly used to describe finely ground silicates used as pigments in paint.

[edit] See also

• Silex Process, a laser separation technique for uranium enrichment
• Proctor-Silex, a company making small appliances