Lab one: Silicon 

By: D’lissa Mattox

What is Silicon?

Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is pronounced SIL-ee-ken. It is a hard and brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic sheen. Silicon was discovered by a Swedish chemist named  Jöns Jacob Berzelius, in 1824 by heating chips of potassium in a silica container and washing the residual by-products. Silicon is the seventh most abundant element in the universe and the second most abundant element in the earth's crust. Silicon is neither metal nor non-metal; it's a metalloid which is between the two.

Behavior

The melting point of silicon is 1,410°C (2,570°F) and the boiling point is 2,355°F (4,270°F). Its density is 2.33 grams per cubic centimeter. Silicon is a semiconductor. Silicon is inactive element at room temperature. It does not combine with oxygen or many other elements. Water, steam, and most acids have very little affect on the element. At higher temperatures, however, silicon becomes much more reactive. In melted state, for example, it combines with oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and other elements. It also forms some alloys very easily in the molten state.

 
 

Importance

Plants use silicon to strengthen their cell walls. This element is an important nutrient that helps confer resistance to disease. It is very important component in microelectronics and computer chips. Silicon is the most common component of sand. Silicon is one of the most useful elements to mankind. Silicon is also used to make silicones.

 References: 

 https://www.britannica.com/science/silicon

https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/si.htm 

https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele014.html

https://www.livescience.com/28893-silicon.html

https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/14/silicon

 http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/P-T/Silicon.html#ixzz6BcdgQo8w