Silicon - Silicon Is An Abundant Element, Silicates, Silicones, Other Uses Of Silicon
oxygen atomic core weight
Silicon is the chemical element of atomic number 14, symbol Si and atomic weight 28.085. In its crystalline form of dark gray crystals, it has a specific gravity of 2.42 at 68°F (20°C), a melting point of 2,588°F (1,420°C) and a boiling point 5,936°F (3,280°C). It exists also in an amorphous (shapeless) form, a brown powder. Silicon consists of three stable isotopes of mass numbers 28, 29 and 30.
Silicon, is a key component of microchips and microprocessors that allow the construction of inexpensive digital wristwatch to worldwide networks of computers. The conductive properties of silicon allow micro-devices to perform millions of calculations per second.
In terms of weight, silicon is the second most abundant element in the crust of Earth at 27.7%—second only to oxygen (46.6%). In rough terms, Earth is essentially a spheroid of iron (the core) surrounded by layers (the mantle and the crust) of silicon and oxygen dominated compounds that include the other elements.
Earth was originally a molten ball of mostly iron, oxygen, silicon and aluminum that cooled. While still molten lighter atoms—including silicon and oxygen (atomic weights 28 and 16), moved outward from the core region, while the heavier iron atoms (atomic weight 56) dominated the central core. By about 3.5 billion years ago, the outermost layer had cooled to a crustal surface. The crustal composition is three-quarters oxygen and silicon.
Additional Topics
Silicon exists in the Sun, stars, and in meteorites. It is found in plants and in animal bones. In the Earth's crust, there are at least 500 minerals—substances with definite chemical compositions and crystal forms. More than a third of these compounds contain silicon and oxygen. Practically all the rocks and clays contain silicon and oxygen combined chemically with metallic elements…
The atoms of carbon can bond to each other to make long chains that include branches, and rings of carbon atoms onto which atoms of hydrogen and several other elements (including oxygen) can bond. The entire field of organic chemistry, with its millions of different organic compounds, is based on this ability of the carbon atom. Silicon also has increased bonding abilities. On the periodic table, …
As with organic compounds, a variety of silicone compounds can be composed of various-length silicon-oxygen chains with organic groups attached. The smaller molecules are the basis of silicone oils that, as with the all-organic petroleum oils, are used as lubricants but which better resist decomposition at higher temperatures. Very large silicone molecules make silicone rubbers with high compressi…
On the periodic table, silicon lies on the borderline between the metals and nonmetals. Silicon is essentially a semi-metal (i.e., has some metallic properties such as metallic conductivity) that allows it to be used in semi-conductor devices (i.e., silicon is a semiconductor). Thin slices of ultra-pure silicon crystals, generally known as chips, can have as many as half a million microscopic, int…
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