Occurrence and Preparation of Silicon

Silicon is the second most abundant element, after oxygen, in Earth s crust. It occurs in Si02 and in an enormous variety of silicate minerals. The element is obtained by the reduction of molten silicon dioxide with carbon at high temperature  

Elemental silicon has a diamond-like structure. Crystalhne silicon is a gray metallic-looking solid that melts at 1410 °C. The element is a semiconductor, as we saw in Chapters 7 and 12, and is used to make solar cells and transistors for computer chips. To be used as a semiconductor, it must be extremely pure, possessing less than 10 % 

---