The present work aims to accomplish three things. First, a zwitterion form of orthosilicic acid is examined in the neutral pH regime. This zwitterion is derived from similar reaction intermediates reported by and . Second, its relevance in the dimerization reaction of silica through representative reactions is investigated. Third, the effects of explicitly adding sodium chloride to the system are evaluated. It is therefore envisaged that the dimerization proceeds as depicted in figure and is positively influenced by the ionic strength.