A New, Environmentally-Friendly Method for the Synthesis of Silicon Dioxide Using Oxalic Acid as a Catalyst

In this study we have synthesized silicon dioxide with an environmentally friendly method, using a new catalyst which is oxalic acid as an intermediate for the hydrolysis phase with the possibility of recovery after the condensation phase. Water can be abandoned by relying only on ethanol as a chemically inert solvent with tetraethoxysilane. XRD, IR and UV analyses were used to determine the final product and to confirm the synthesis of silicon dioxide, the data obtained were compared with other research articles. The structure of the oxalic acid recovered after synthesis with a very high yield was proved by X-ray diffraction.