A small pouch containing silica gel is often found in bottles of medicine in tablet or powder form because silica gel

1. Silica gel is a form of silicon dioxide manufactured from sodium silicate. 2. It is a highly porous material that functions as a desiccant. 3. As a desiccant, it absorbs moisture from the surrounding air, keeping the environment inside the medicine bottle dry. 4. This prevents degradation of the medicine (tablets or powder) due to humidity. 5. It does not inherently kill bacteria, germs, spores, or absorb all gases; its primary function in this context is moisture absorption.