Silicone became popularly known after its use in medicine as a prosthesis for breast aesthetics.
Silicone breast implants are performed through surgery, where the specialist doctor performs a small incision through which the silicone gel prosthesis is implanted, packed by a resistant membrane and malleable. It is positioned between the mammary glands and the pectoral muscle and needs to be changed after 15 or 20 years.
Now let's go to the chemistry of silicon, which is formed by an inorganic silicon-oxygen skeleton (…-Si-O-Si-O-Si-O-…) with organic side groups attached to the silicon atoms.
Silicone structural formula
Note that the molecule illustrated above is formed by intercalated silicon and oxygen, also containing organic groups (CH3) in its structure. With this we can conclude that silicones are a mixture of organic and inorganic material with general chemical formula: [R2SiO]n, where R is an organic group such as methyl, ethyl, and phenyl.
But the applications of this material are not only related to body aesthetics, it can also be used in manufacture of surface waterproofing, lubricating grease, polishing wax, adhesives, sealants, adhesives. silicone, etc.
By Líria Alves
Graduated in Chemistry
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Obtaining and using silicone