From Garg Chemical Company:
Silica Gel is a granular, porous form of silica made synthetically from sodium silicate. Despite the name, silica gel is a solid.
Silica gel is the highest capacity adsorbent available today. It comprises of tiny inter-connecting pores, it attracts and holds moisture by adsorption and capillary condensation. Silica gel is chemically inert, non-toxic, non-flammable and safe to use to protect foods, medicines, sensitive materials and much more. Even when saturated with adsorbed moisture, silica gel looks and feels dry to the touch.
Silica gel is most commonly encountered in everyday life as beads packed in a semi - permeableplastic. In this form, it is used as a dessicant to control local humidity in order to avoid spoilage of some goods. Silica gel is a desiccant, or drying agent and should not be confused with silicon gel
Trade Name : Silica Gel
Chemical Family : Sodium Silicate
Chemical Name : Synthetic Silica Gel
Chemical Formula : SiO2+H2O+CoCl2
Properties
Silica gel's high surface area (around 800 m²/g) allows it to absorb water readily, making it useful as a desiccant (drying agent). Once saturated with water, the gel can be regenerated by heating to 120 °C (250 °F) for two hours. Some types of silica gel will "pop" when exposed to enough water.
