Dissolving cast iron in nitric acid
No, nitric acid is a sufficiently hard acid to dissolve silicon metal without precipitating in low concentrations. In fact, nitric acid is used to dissolve silicon in ICP Standards. The oxide reacts slowly with water and water-based solutions - nitric acid included, but the acid does not increase the kinetics appreciably, otherwise glass would be unsuitable as a vessel for nitric acid. The element in an alloy, however, can be dissolved more easily like that in cast iron.