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Environmental fate & pathways

Phototransformation in air

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Description of key information

Photodegradation is not expected.

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Additional information

The basic structural unit of soluble silicates is a tetrahedral arrangement of four oxygen atoms surrounding a central silicon atom. Tetrahedra are linked with each other via Si-O-Si bonds resulting in an infinite three-dimensional network where the oxygen atoms at the corners of a given tetrahedron are shared with neighbouring tetrahedra. Not all corners in the tetrahedra are shared; the negative charge of unshared oxygen atoms is balanced by the presence of sodium cations which are randomly spaced in the interstices of the silicate structure. Based on these structural considerations a significant breakdown of soluble silicates via photodegradation is not expected.