A metalloid element belonging to group 14 (formerly IVB) of the periodic table; a.n. 14; r.a.m. 28.086; r.d. 2.33; m.p. 1410°C; b.p. 2355°C. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust (25.7% by weight) occurring in various forms of silicon(IV) oxide (e.g. quartz) and in silicate minerals. The element is extracted by reducing the oxide with carbon in an electric furnace and is used extensively for its semiconductor properties. It has a diamond-like crystal structure; an amorphous form also exists. Chemically, silicon is less reactive than carbon. The element combines with oxygen at red heat and is also dissolved by molten alkali. There is a large number of organosilicon compounds (e.g. siloxanes) although silicon does not form the range of silicon-hydrogen compounds and derivatives that carbon does (see silane). The element was predicted by Antoine Lavoisier in 1787 and discovered in 1824 by Jöns Berzelius.

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