Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust. It was discovered in 1824 by Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzelius and gets its name from the Latin word for flint. At room temperature, silicon exists in both amorphous and crystalline forms, with the crystalline form having a metallic luster and grayish color. In addition to being a component of sand and quartz, silicon has many important uses including in soaps, adhesives, lubricants, polishing agents, electrical insulators, and medical implants.

1. Silicon; Si
Samantha Brossart
Dr. Walters
CHE 120 fall semester, 2011

2. History
O Discovered by Jons Jacob Berzelius, a
Swedish chemist in 1824
O Silicon comes from the Latin word for flint;
siex
O Silicon is pronounced SIL-i-ken

3. Properties
Silicon:
O Is a solid at room temperature.
O Melts at 1687 K (1414°C or 2577°F).
O Boils at 3538 K (3265°C or 5909°F).
O Has a density of 2.3296 grams per cubic
centimeters
O At room temperature two allotropes exist;
amorphous and crystalline.
O Amorphous appears as a brown power.
O Crystalline has a metallic luster and a grayish
color.

4. Availability
O Silicon is the seventh most abundant
element in the universe and the second
on the earths crust.
O SiO2 Silicon dioxide is silicon's most
common compound, and also the most
abundant compound in the earths crust.
Commonly Silicon Dioxide takes the form
of ordinary sand, but also exists as
quartz, rock
crystal, amethyst, agate, flint, jasper and
opal

5. Uses
O Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), also known as
water glass, is used in the production of
soaps, adhesives and as an egg
preservative.
O Silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) is used to
create smoke screens.
O Silicon is also an important ingredient in
silicone, a class of material that is used for
such things as lubricants, polishing
agents, electrical insulators and medical
implants.

7. References
O Berzelius Jons Jacob. Scientific Identity.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Web. 11
November 2011.
O The Element Silicon. Jefferson Lab. Steve
Gagnon. Web. 11 November 2011.
O Mineral’s; Silicon. The Mineral Mine. Long
Beach, CA. web. 11 November 2011.
O Silicon Facts. About.com Chemistry. Anne
Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Web. 11
November 2011.