Silicic acid, a compound of silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen, regarded as the parent substance from which is derived a large family—the silicates—of minerals, salts, and esters.
Silicic acid is a general name for a family of chemical compounds of the element silicon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the general formula SiO2.xH2O.Silicic acids may be formed by acidification of silicate salts (such as sodium silicate) in aqueous solution. When heated they lose water to form silica gel, an active form of silicon dioxide.