Question

How does amorphous silica differ from quartz?

Answer 1

	Property	Amorphous Silica	Quartz
1.	Structure	Amorphous silica has a disordered arrangement of Si and O atoms and lacks long-range periodicity.	Quartz is a crystalline form of silica with a well-defined, repeating three-dimensional network of SiO4 tetrahedra.
2.	Long-Range Order	Amorphous silica exhibits only short-range orders.	Quartz has both short-range and long-range order, characteristic of crystalline solids.
3.	Melting Point	Amorphous silica does not have a sharp melting point; it softens over a range of temperatures.	Quartz has a sharp melting point due to its ordered structure.
4.	Density	It is of lower density.	It is of higher density.
5.	Appearance	Amorphous silica is typically transparent and glassy in appearance.	Quartz is usually crystalline and may be transparent or colored, depending on impurities.
6.	Occurrence	It can be found in glass and silica gel.	It naturally occurs as a mineral in rocks.
7.	Crystallinity	It is non-crystalline.	It is crystalline.
8.	Mechanical Strength	It is of lower strength.	It is high in strength and hardness.