be added to the reaction system in amounts up to about 50 by weight to make higher si metal ratios commercially useful such solvents may also be used to maintain homogenity when the organosilicon material contains hydrophobic organic groups with more than 2 carbon atoms and to aid in blending the solution with organic resins typically useful solvents are low molecular weight alcohols or alkoxy alcohols having from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms examples of such solvents are isopropyl alcohol n butyl alcohol methanol and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether if desired the solution may also contain various conventional additives which are dispersible and stable in the system including such materials as dyes colloids surfactants other water thinnable polymers soluble metal salts quaternary ammonium salts and mixtures thereof for example dyes can be added whenever a particular color is desired in some instances a metal salt or a quaternary ammonium salt can be added to produce an amorphous material with tailored or controlled leachability because of their known antimicrobial nature quaternary ammonium salts are sometimes added when it is desirable to supplement the antimicrobial nature of the amorphous material obtained upon removal of volatiles from the solutions of this invention as described below the ammonia stabilized metal siliconate solutions can be converted into amorphous materials by removing the volatile nitrogen containing bases it is observed by microscopic examination and x ray diffraction techniques that the material is amorphous and devoid of crystalline structures i e the metal oxide is present in a combined state and is no longer present as a discrete phase it.