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What is Silicon? Origin / Meaning of the name Silicon
The name originates from
the Latin word 'silex' meaning flint
What is Silicon? Periodic Table Group and Classification of the Silicon Element
Elements can be classified based on their physical states (States
of Matter) e.g. gas, solid or liquid. This element is a solid. Silicon is classified as a "Metalloid" element and is located in
Groups 13, 14,15, 16 and 17 of the Periodic Table. An element
classified as one of the Metalloids has
the properties of both metals and
Non-Metals. Some are semi-conductors and can carry an electrical
charge making them useful in calculators and computers.
For additional facts and information refer to
Silicon Properties.
The
Discovery of Silicon
Silicon was was first
identified by Antoine Lavoisier in 1787. Humphry Davy thought in
1800 that silica is an element, not a compound, and in 1808
suggested the present name. Re-discovered by Jons
Berzelius
in 1823. Silicon resembles
Carbon in many respects. It can be
obtained in several allotropic forms, corresponding to those of
carbon. The crystallized form is very hard, and is inactive
toward reagents. The amorphous variety has, in general,
properties more similar to charcoal.
Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier was famous for his care in quantitative
experiments, for demonstrating the true nature of combustion,
for introducing system into the naming and grouping of chemical
substances. Lavoisier was executed in 1794 during the French
Revolution.
Antoine Lavoisier (1743 - 1794)
What is Silicon? Facts about the History of the Discovery of Silicon
Element
Next to oxygen silicon is
the most abundant element. It does not occur free in nature, but
its compounds are very abundant and of the greatest importance.
It occurs almost entirely in combination with oxygen as silicon
dioxide (SiO2), often called silica, or with oxygen and various
metals in the form of salts of silicic acids, or silicates.
These compounds form a large fraction of the earth's crust. Most
plants absorb small amounts of silica from the soil, and it is
also found in minute quantities in animal organisms. The high-tech region of
Silicon Valley, California, is named after this element.
What is Silicon? Occurrence of the Silicon Element
Occurring extensively in the earth's crust in silica and
silicates
Elemental silicon is not found in nature
Silicon is a principal component of aerolites and of tektites
Abundances of the element in different environments
% in Universe 0.07%
% in Sun 0.09%
% in Meteorites 14%
% in Earth's Crust 27%
% in Oceans 0.0001%
% in Humans 0.026%
Associated Uses of Silicon
Semi-conductors
Glass
Concrete
Brick
Pottery
Silicones
Glass
When
Sodium
and
Calcium silicates, together with silicon
dioxide, are heated to a very high temperature, the mixture
slowly fuses to a transparent liquid, which on cooling passes
into the solid called glass. |
