Most commonly, the silicone oil is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the thickener is amorphous fumed silica.
Using this formulation, silicone grease is a translucent white viscous paste, with exact properties dependent on the type and proportion of the components.
Silicone grease is soluble in organic solvents such as toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Pure silicone grease is widely used by the plumbing industry in faucets and seals, as well as in dental equipment.
Electrical utilities use silicone grease to lubricate separable elbows on lines that must endure high temperatures.
[4] Silicone grease is widely used as a temporary sealant and a lubricant for interconnecting ground glass joints, as is typically used in laboratory glassware.
[5][6] The first salts of crown ethers (OSi(CH3)2)n (n = 6, 7) were produced by reactions of organolithium and organopotassium compounds with silicone greases[7] or the serendipitous reaction of stannanetriol with silicone grease to afford a cage-like compound having three Sn−O−Si−O−Sn linkages in the molecule.
Some divers may use high PO2 'enriched' gas mixes containing more than the usual ~21% of Oxygen present in air as one of the ways to reduce the risk of decompression sickness, "the bends", on certain types of dive.