If you want to know how silicon is made and what it can be used for, then look no further. In this simple article, I will tell you how this element is made and some of the things it can be used for.
Silicon with the chemical symbol “Si” is a group 14 periodic table element with atomic number 14. This element has metallic properties and can serve as a semiconductor.
There are so many things about this element that we must know. It is one of the most used elements in modern computers these days and that is the reason why we must know more about it.
How silicon is made
This element is made from Silica (SiO2). According to history, nobody achieve pure silicon until 1824 when the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius of Stockholm made a breakthrough.
He obtained this element by heating potassium fluorosilicate with potassium. The product was contaminated with potassium silicide, but he removed this by stirring it with water, with which it reacts, and thereby obtained relatively pure silicon powder.
The modern way of silicon production uses an arc furnace to burn the raw materials which are silica with carbon materials like wood chips, coal or coke. Very high temperatures are required to produce the substance from which the end product becomes silicon.
Uses
Silicon according to research is one of the most used materials on earth right now. There are so many things we see and use on a daily basis that are only able to function because we had this element.
- Electronics
The major use of this element is in electronics. Because of its electric conduction properties, it is used in our everyday home appliances. Mobile phones, computers and almost all gadgets that have capacitors and a motherboard in them are made out of this element. Is the same item that is used in Apple Silicon Computer chips.
- Engine blocks
This element is added to aluminium which becomes an alloy and is used in engine blocks and cylinder heads.
- Cosmetics
Silicone oil is also another product made from silicon. It is a lubricant used in some body lotions and hair conditioners.
Silicon rubber is also used in many products. It is used to waterproof windows and doors. It is also used to make soft dolls.