Silicon-carbon bond strengths

Crystalline silicon has the tetrahedral diamond arrangement, but since the mean thermochemical bond strength between the silicon atoms is less than that found between carbon atoms (Si—Si, 226 kJmol , C—C, 356kJmol ), silicon does not possess the great hardness found in diamond. Amorphous silicon (silicon powder) is microcrystalline silicon. 

Several further calculations of various properties of the silicon-carbon double bond have been reported. As in the previous decade the strength of the silene bond and the reasons for it have continued to attract attention. 

These observations are often ascribed to the greater element-to-metal bond strength on passing from carbon to silicon. But other factors must be involved, since insertion does occur in some related Ge-metal and Sn-metal systems (e.g., entry 44) (24), and it is known that Sn-metal bonds are generally stronger than the corresponding Si-metal bonds (see Section IV,D). 

The relative strengths of bonds that silicon and carbon form with some other elements are shown below. (The factors in parentheses indicate the approximate increase or decrease in strength between the silicon and carbon bond in question.)... 

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