Silicon
💻 In Your World
Silicon is the heart of the digital age. As a semiconductor, it is the fundamental material used to make computer chips, transistors, and solar cells. Without silicon, we wouldn't have smartphones, laptops, or the internet as we know it. It's also the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust (after oxygen), found everywhere in sand and rock as silicon dioxide (silica).
📖 The Discovery Story
In 1824, the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius was the first to isolate pure silicon. He produced it by heating potassium fluorosilicate with potassium. The name "silicon" was proposed by the Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson in 1817, derived from the Latin words silex or silicis, meaning "flint," as it was first identified from silica compounds.
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Melting Point | 1414 °C / 2577 °F |
| Boiling Point | 3265 °C / 5909 °F |
| Electron Configuration | [Ne] 3s²3p² |
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | 27.7% (2nd most abundant) |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
Elemental silicon is non-toxic and safe to handle. However, inhaling fine crystalline silica dust over long periods can cause a serious lung disease called silicosis. This is primarily an occupational hazard for miners, stonecutters, and sandblasters.