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The effect of pH on sol formation kinetics, sol properties, and the structure of surface layers has been analyzed. When pH is changing from acid to alkaline, the minimum of stability with pH ~5.5-6.0 is believed to be predetermined by the influence of various stabilizing factors. In the acid region the stabilization is provided by structural forces, in the alkaline region by electrostatic ones. The comparison of experimental with theoretical data enables us to conclude that the DLVO-modified theory, which also operates with the structural component of disjoining pressure, may be employed for the description of silica hydrosol aggregative stability.