Silica and method for producing the same

Abstract

Silica having a large pore volume and specific surface area, controlled pore properties and also excellent hydrothermal resistance is provided. The silica has the following properties: (a) a pore volume of the silica is larger than 1.6 ml/g and is 3.0 ml/g or less; (b) a specific surface area of the silica is between 100 and 1000 m2/g; (c) a mode pore diameter (Dmax) of the silica is 5 nm or more; (d) a value of Q4/Q3 in a solid-state Si nuclear magnetic resonance (hereinafter called solid-state Si NMR) spectrum of the silica is 1.2 or more; and (e) the silica is amorphous; and (f) a total content of metal impurities in the silica is 100 ppm or less. The silica can be suitably used in fields which require particularly large pore volume and specific surface area, excellent hydrothermal resistance moreover controlled pore properties, and also the fact that physical properties scarcely change over a long period of time.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.