Silicon
Silicon (硅, symbol Si) is chemical element number 14, a Metalloid in period 3, group 14 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 28.085. Foundation of modern electronics. Second most abundant element in Earth's crust.
Properties
| Atomic number | 14 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Si |
| Atomic mass | 28.085 u |
| Category | Metalloid |
| Period | 3 |
| Group | 14 |
| Electron configuration | [Ne] 3s² 3p² |
| Electronegativity | 1.9 |
| Covalent radius | 111 pm |
| Density | 2.3296 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1687 K |
| Boiling point | 3538 K |
| Discovery | Jöns Jacob Berzelius, 1824 |
Overview
Foundation of modern electronics. Second most abundant element in Earth's crust. Silicon (Si) is a Metalloid with atomic number 14, located in period 3, group 14. As a metalloid it shares properties of both metals and nonmetals and is a mainstay of semiconductor materials.
Its electron configuration is [Ne] 3s² 3p², with 4 electrons in the outer shell, and an electronegativity of about 1.9 (Pauling). Around 25 °C it is usually a solid; it melts near 1687 K (1413.9 °C), boils near 3538 K (3264.9 °C), has a density around 2.3296 g/cm³.
In industry and daily life it turns up in Electronics / Semiconductors and Structural / Alloys. It was first described by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1824. The periodic trends guide explains the underlying patterns.
Electron shells
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 4
Main uses
- Electronics / Semiconductors
- Structural / Alloys
Hazard
Compounds containing Silicon
No compounds in this knowledge base contain Silicon yet.
Data sources
Atomic mass uses IUPAC (CIAAW) standard atomic weights; the covalent radius is from Cordero et al. (2008). Verify on the RSC Periodic Table, PubChem and Wikipedia. Educational reference only.