inosilicate

/in'euh sil"i kit, -kayt', uy'neuh-/, n. Mineral.

any silicate having a structure consisting of paired parallel chains of tetrahedral silicate groups, every other of which shares an oxygen atom with a group of the other chain, the ratio of silicon to oxygen being 4 to 11. Cf. cyclosilicate, nesosilicate, sorosilicate, tektosilicate.

[ < Gk ino- (comb. form of ís fiber, sinew) + SILICATE]

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or chain silicate

Any of a class of inorganic compounds that have structures characterized by silicate tetrahedrons (a central silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms at the corners of a tetrahedron) arranged in chains.

Two of the oxygen atoms of each tetrahedron are shared with other tetrahedrons, forming a chain that is potentially infinite in length. Mineral examples include the pyroxenes and the amphiboles.

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▪ chemical compound

formerly  called Metasilicate,  

      any of a class of inorganic compounds that have structures characterized by silicate tetrahedrons (a central silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms at the corners of a tetrahedron) arranged in chains. Two of the oxygen atoms of each tetrahedron are shared with other tetrahedrons, forming a chain that is potentially infinite in length. Single chains (with a multiple of SiO₃ in the chemical formula), double chains (with Si₄O₁₁ in the formula), and more complex chains are possible. Mineral examples include the pyroxenes (single chain) and the amphiboles (double chain).

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