In situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used to monitor the chemical evolution of the mesoporous silica SBA-15 from hydrolysis of the silica precursor to final silica condensation after the particle formation. Two silica precursors, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) or sodium metasilicate (SMS) were used, and the effects of additive (heptane and NH4F) concentrations were studied. Five formation stages are identified when TEOS is used as the precursor. The fourth stage correlates with the appearance and evolution of diffraction peaks recorded using in situ small angle X-ray diffraction. Details of the formed silica matrix are observed, e.g. the ratio between six-fold cyclic silica rings and linear bonding increases with the NH4F concentration. The TEOS hydrolysis time is independent of the NH4F concentration for small amounts of heptane, but is affected by the size of the emulsion droplets when the heptane amount increases. Polymerization and condensation rates of both silica precursors are affected by the salt concentration. Materials synthesized using SMS form significantly faster compared to TEOS-materials due to the pre-hydrolysis of the precursor. The study provides detailed insights into how the composition of the synthesis solution affects the chemical evolution and micellar aggregation during formation of mesoporous silica. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.