Silica
Silica is the common name of the chemical compound silicon dioxide, and though important to life is not generally considered an organic compound. Sand, quartz, and opal are examples of silica forms.
A few forms of life have silica structures: diatoms, plants like horsetail, and animals such as the hexactinellid sponge. Using silica in certain structures is a tradeoff; on the one hand, bonds don't form as strongly as with carbon structures, but the structures formed are more rigid and crystalline, and they form without the same high requirement for energy.
Silica is a necessary component in clay for stonewares and porcelains to work properly, and is the foundation of glass. It's also the primary component of the ceramic tiles used on the space shuttle exterior. You may find it in your foods to enhance flow in powdered foods or to absorb excess water.
Silicon is also used as an insulator in semiconductors, and the micromanipulation of silicon is critical to some forms of nanotechnology. This makes the incorporation of silicon into some microscopic organisms very interesting indeed.
Web Resources On Silica
Marine Diatoms
Diatoms: More on Morphology
Book Resources On SilicaThe Chemistry of Silica by Ralph K. Iler
Research on the deposition of silica on the diatom surface by Joyce C. Lewin
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