By Gary Dibileo and Patrick Laabs

Silicon, a tetravalent metalloid, is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number of 14. It is found on the periodic table in group 14 and period 3. It was found in 1824 by Jöns Jacob Berzelius. It was named in 1831 by a Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson in 1831. Crystalline silicon (found in quartz) was produced for the first time in 1854 by Henri Beville. It is the 7th most abundant element in the universe and the 2nd most abundant element in earth’s crust. It is a solid at room temperature with a melting point of 1683.15 Kelvin and a boiling point of 2628.15 Kelvin. Most Silicon is used commercially without being separated. Silicon has a large impact on the modern world economy. It’s used in steel refining, aluminum casting, and fine chemical industries. It could also be made into a silicon rubber, heat resisting resins, lubricants, and water resistant films. Another reason why its important is because silicon burning is the last phase of a star’s life before a supernova. Silicon can be found in computers, in the grains of sand on beaches, in bricks, and in concrete. Silicon has an atomic mass of 28.0855. Its electron configuration is Ne 3s2 3p2.

This is crystalline silicon. It is normally found in quartz. As said in the first paragraph, it was first found and produced by by the scientist Henri Beville in 1854.The small crystals can cause health problems such as bronchitis, COPD, and can lead to tuberculosis if inhaled. However, this only occurs after extended exposure to crystalline silica.

This is unrefined Silicon. Apart from oxygen, silicon is much more abundant than any other element. Silicon forms compounds with 64 out of 96 stable elements and possibly form silicides with 18 other elements. It is nontoxic and does no harm to people animals or plants
   






These are all reasons why Silicon should stay on the periodic table and be the number 1 element. One reason is because silicon has many forms. For example Silicon Carbide(SiC) is nearly as hard as an abrasive. Sodium Silicate(Na2SiO3) also known as water glass, is used in the production of soap, adhesives and an egg preservative. Silicon tetrachloride(SiCl4) is used to create smoke screens.