Uses of Silica Gel Dust

Keeping Things Dry

• Silica gel is often found in vapor-permeable packets, which are placed in recently manufactured products or in older antique furniture. Silica gel gains its properties as a desiccant because its surface has many tiny pores that cause it to draw in moisture from its surroundings. This prevents the development of molds, fungi, or rot that might otherwise take hold in wood or leather products if they are stored for a long period of time.

Chromatography

• Chromatography is the branch of chemistry concerned with separating mixtures of chemicals into their components. Silica gel is used in chromatography as a stationary phase because the pores of silica gel bond with particular chemical groups. Different sizes of pores associated with different grades of silica gel bond with different chemical species, making silica gel very useful in separating different chemical species.

Cat Litter

• The ability of silica gel to absorb moisture has meant that silica gel is increasingly found in store-bought cat litter trays. These cat litters are often marketed on the basis of the crystalline nature of the silica gel and are given names like "Crystal Clear Litter Pearls" and "TidyCat Crystals."