Silica gel
From WikiLectures
Silica gel is a highly porous form of silica. The considerable surface area of its particles and the relative polarity of the silica molecules enable the typical use of silica gel:
Dryer
Silica gel binds water effectively. "Wet" desiccant can easily be regenerated by heating to higher temperatures. A coloured indicator is often added to silica gel-based desiccants so that it is easy to recognize that the desiccant is used up.
Stationary phase in chromatographic methods
Silica gel is used as a polar stationary phase in thin layer chromatography (TLC) and some column chromatography. The use of silicate columns for the isolation of nucleic acids is popular.
