The Element Silicon


Did you know that silicon is the second most abundant element on earth after oxygen? However, pure silicon crystals rarely occur in nature and can be found as inclusions with gold and volcanic exhalations. Most commonly, silicon is found in the form of silicon dioxide (also known as silica) and silicate.

In commercial applications, silicon is widely used in the construction industry as a major constituent of natural stone, glass, concrete and cement. Semiconductor industry is another party which widely uses silicon as a key substance to produce ultra silicon wafers in electronics. Production of silicones is another use of silicon which is compounds containing silicon-oxygen and silicon-carbon bonds that act as intermediate bonds between glass and organic compound.

Atomic Number & Chemical Properties


Element Basics:

Chemical Symbol: Si
Atomic Number: 14
Atomic Weight: 28.0855
Element Classification: Semimetallic
Discovered By: Jons Jacob Berzelius
Date of Discovery: 1824 (Sweden)
Origin of Name: Latin: silex, silicus, (flint).

How to Recognize it at a Party:

Amorphous form is brown powder; crystalline form has a gray

Seriously Atomic Information:

Density (g/cc): 2.33
Melting Point (°K): 1683
Boiling Point (°K): 2628
Atomic Radius (pm): 132
Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 12.1
Covalent Radius (pm): 111
Ionic Radius: 42 (+4e) 271 (-4e)
Pauling Negativity Number: 1.90
First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 786.0
Oxidation States: 4, -4
Electronic Configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p2

Getting Intimate with Silicon:

Lattice Structure: Diagonal (DIA)
Lattice Constant (Å): 5.430
Lattice C/A Ratio: n/a
Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.703
Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 50.6
Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 383
Thermal Conductivity (@25°C W/m K):
Debye Temperature (°K): 625.00


Society's Questions About Silicon:

Have you ever wondered what everyone else in the world thinks about Silicon? Is anyone else looking for it too? If so, why? What do they want?

The following list shows the most common online questions about the element Silicon. Are your questions the same or different from everyone else's?

Top Silicon Topics:

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