The silicomolybdic acid spectrophotometric method and its application to silicate/biopolymer interaction studies

The possibility to understand natural strategies to build-up silica SiO2 networks relies on the investigations of the kinetics of silica precursors polymerization in the presence of biopolymers. The silicomolybdic acid spectrophotometric method allows to study this process at the molecular level, provided that reliable procedures are available. Moreover, special care must be taken to avoid interfering processes induced by the inorganic and/or bio-organic species found in solution. In order to illustrate the possibilities and limitations of this method, different sets of data are presented and discussed in the context of silica formation control by natural systems.