Silicon and its Inorganic Compounds

A. S. Bere2hnoi, Silicon and its Binary Systems Consultants Bureau, New York, 1960 J. W. MeUor,H Comprehensive Treatise on Inof anic and Theoretical Chemisty Vol. IV, Longmans, Green Co., Inc., New York, 1957 M. C. Sneed and R. C. Brasted, eds.. Comprehensive Inorganic Chemisty Vol. VII The Elements and Compounds of Group IPH, D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, N.J., 1958. 

The production of high purity silicon has become increasingly important during the last three decades as its semiconductor properties have been utilized in an enormous variety of electronic devices. The early work on the chemical and physical properties of silicon and its simple inorganic compounds has been discussed in detail. Large-scale production of silicon is achieved by reduction of quartz, Si02, with carbon at approximately 1700 °C (equation 2), that is, well above the melting point of silicon. 

Just how closely do the properties of carbon and silicon and their respective compounds resemble one another The differences can be small but they can also be wonderfully dramatic. It is the purpose of this chapter to develop an introduction to silicon chemistry and to demonstrate the analogies to carbon where they exist, but also to demonstrate the uniqueness of the chemistry, structure and reactivity of silicon. Today the inorganic and organic chemistry of silicon has a broad impact on technology but the chemistry of this element was a laboratory curiosity for more than 100 years after its discovery. 

The membranes used are typically composed of cross-linked silicones and are suitable for on-line monitoring of volatile organic and inorganic compounds [93-94]. An alternative material is microporous PTFE, which has more rapid responses as well as lower selectivities and higher fluxes of the mobile phase compared to nonporous silicone membranes. More recently, developments in membrane introduction systems include the use of liquid membranes composed, for example, of a polyphenyl ether diffusion pump fluid [95-96]. This membrane has the advantage that it can take any desirable analyte and the selectivity can be modified using appropriate reagents. 

Industrial poisoning. The production of silicone products uses substances harmful for human health. These are inorganic substances (ammonia, chlorine, sodium and potassium hydroxides, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, hydrogen chloride) and organic compounds of various types, such as hydrocarbons (methane, benzene and its homologues), chlorine derivatives (methyl- and ethylchloride, chlorobenzene), alcohols (methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, hydrosite), acetone, pyridine, etc. The information about their toxicity, explosion hazard, effect on human body, as well as maximum allowable concentrations of gases and vapours in the air at workplace can be found in special references.(Ryabov 1970). A comprehensive description of silicone substances is given in Table 29. 

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