Why is this element important in everyday life?
Silicon is important to us because it makes up most of the Earth's crust, besides oxygen. Silicon is found in many minerals in the form of SiO2. This compound SiO2 is silica. We use silicon in everyday and most of us don't even know. Some things we use everyday and we don't even know that it is made out of silicon. For example we use silicon in semi conductor's, which is used to make computer chips. Silicon is also used for circuits, transistors, solar cells, and similar electronic devices. Another use for silicon is in glass. To make glass it uses Silicon Dioxide which is a combination of silicon and oxygen, which are the two most abundant elements. Silicon Dioxide is the most abundant ingredient of glass. Silicon carbide, is one of the hardest materials known, it is used to grind and polish other materials. As you can see Silicon combines with a lot of other elements to make thing s we don't even know it does.
Where is this element found in nature?
Silicon doesn't occur free in nature. Silicon occurs only in combination with other elements, mostly with oxygen as with silicon dioxide.
What are the properties of the element?
General Characteristics =
Silicon is a shiny, blue-gray, high melting, brittle metalloid. It looks like a metal but it is chemically more like a non-metal. Silicon is composed of silica and its derivatives.
Atomic Symbol =Si
Period Number = 3
Group Number and Family Name =Silicon is in the Carbon Family and its group number is 14.
Atomic Number = 14
Atomic Mass = 28.0855
Density =2.33
Melting Point =1410
Boiling Point =2355
Electron Configuration =1s22s22p63s23p2
Shorthand Notation =Si-[Ne]3s23p2
Common Reactions = Common reactions when you combine silicon with oxygen you get silicon dioxide, when you form silicon and carbon you get silicon carbide. You can combine a lot of other elements with it and get lots of compounds.
Interesting Information = Some interesting information on Silicon is that one of its derivatives is silicone and it is a cross between organic materials such as oil, rubber, and plastics and its organic materials such as sand, glass, and quartz. Silicone is not harmful to the human body. They also are not affected by chemicals in the body. For these reasons, they are used in making artificial human parts, including breasts and the heart valves, which can be permanently implanted in the body. I thought these were just a few of the interesting things about silicon and its derivatives.
Who is Sally Silicon. ?
There once was a girl whose name was Sally and all through life she was picked on. She was a bright girl and was even in classes with some of the big elements, but she was always teased by the big elements. Sally went to The Periodic Table High School. Her school was different everybody there had their own trait about them. Since Sally was so smart she felt out of place because in all her classes were big elements and they had almost all their energy levels if not more than they needed. In chemistry class she learned that she could combine with other elements to get enough energy levels to where she would look normal and not so undeveloped. After she graduated from PTHS she went out and checked out what her options would be so that she could look normal. She found a doctor. He told her that he could do plastic surgery to build up herself, but she would have to find somebody she liked so she went out on a search and she found a nice guy by the name of Oscar Oxygen. A little later in that year they end up getting married and having a child by the name of Sarah Silicon Dioxide. And they lived happily ever after.
