Silicon is often used as a building block in electronics because it is most similar to carbon and can form bonds, though not as complexly as carbon. While boron, nitrogen and phosphorus have fewer outer shell electrons than silicon, silicon is smaller than carbon due to its d-orbital configuration, preventing it from forming all the same bonds as the larger carbon. Silicon primarily forms ionic bonds rather than carbon's covalent bonds.

1. P ' is the building block ? Which of the following is reason why Si, and not B, N nor remote
worlds in the universe? main 11. A) Si is smaller than C and cannot make all the complex bonds
that C makes. B) B has more electrons while N and P have fewer electrons on its outermost shell
than Si. C) Si is larger than B, N and P D) None of the above.
Solution
Silicon is the element directly below carbon, and hence is the most similar. This is why you may
hear people muse about silicon based life-size the next most plausible element. Due to empty d-
orbital, Si is smaller (strong attraction force from more number of protons in nucleus) than C and
cannot make all the complex bonds that C makes. C makes covalent molecules mainly, wheras Si
makes ionic type bonds.
Answer: A) Si is smaller than C and cannot make all the complex bonds that C makes.
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